After The 5th Act
by Eriol-sama
Summary: A collection of stories that picks up right after the epilogue of Sinnatious' The Fifth Act. It will focus more on the interaction of Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack, Genesis, Angeal and Kunsel also his 'nephew'. This is Gen, at least for now ;P
1. Friends

Title: Friends

Characters: Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Kunsel, Vincent Valentine implied, Yuffie Kisaragi implied

Warning: AU, based on Sinnatious' The Fifth Act

Pairings: None for now ;P

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2,521 according to Word 2007

Beta-reader: Wintersheart1766 (a lot love and hugs to her! ^.^ )

Author's Note: Yes, I've got the permission from Sinnatious to write a fanfic out of her/his fanfic. I have manners, mind you. Anyway, to Sinnatious: hope you don't mind I'm pimping your fanfic here ^.^

Disclaimer: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States or any other countries, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from.

* * *

It was few months after the whole Nibelheim fiasco that life settled into a quiet routine lull that had Zack complaining of being bored. To Cloud though, it was as if Shinra was confining them to their quarters whilst they attempted to wash away all evidences of the previous month's atrocities from any and all of the companys vast network system; an effort to avoid any costly backlash to the company name.

Yet, as was the advantage of being a First class SOLDIER, one was actually free to roam anywhere, so long they followed procedure and logged their location and mission parameters onto the PHS system. This little convenience, when coupled with the terms of Cloud's SOLDIER contract, which stated in no uncertain terms the he had the ultimate right to refuse any mission for any reason at any time, made complaint from any of Shinra's executive factions with regards to his signing off to Modeoheim an impossibility.

These facts did nothing however, with regards to the TURKS and a certain Ex TURK, who since his resurrection, seemed to have unceremoniously coronated himself as Cloud's unofficial guard dog or something of that nature anyway. The journey to Modeoheim, without Fenrir or the Highwind or any other means of transportation aside from his own two feet, was a long and arduous one. He thought briefly of borrowing one of the Turk's helicopters, but decided against it since little miss 'Treasure Princess' would be far less likely to cooperate with him if he showed up with the Shinra logo blazing all around him; Gaia knew the teenage girl was still a hellion even when she was cooperating. In the end Cloud ,as always, resigned himself to his fate and continued his journey on foot.

If Cloud thought that hoofing it all the way from Midgar to Modeoheim was difficult, he shuddered to think of what spending the entire journey from the Northern to the Western Continent, where Wutai was located, with Yuffie, whom he had recently had extracted from the Northern crater, would entail. Yet, miraculously he succeeded in restraining the little princess and kept her from escaping until he was able to return her to her homeland and place her into the custody of one of her guardians. Cloud shook his head in wonder as he recognized the guardian as the very same individual whom Yuffie had outsmarted and escaped from during the war. He sure hoped that for everyone's sake they had taught these guy's a little something extra with regards to foiling the ninja's escape attempts or she was going to end up being a full time job.

During his seemingly endless journey his PHS rang incessantly, due either to calls from the perpetually peeved Genesis wanting to check up on him or the usually friendly calls from Zack who occasionally dragged Kunsel into the mix, who in turn, on occasion, would drag his timid 'nephew' along as well. Adding to the constant ringing was Sephiroth's very 'Sephiroth like' oh-so-routine-and-on-the-dot check up calls with a lesser but still healthy dose of Angeal's mildly inquisitive social calls. Cloud supposed he had better head back to Midgar before his PHS had to be surgically removed from his ear.

It was the lack of the noise and companionship, save for his silent and for all intents and purposes, invisible guardian, that had his thoughts wandering to certain things which had happened so fast, he was afforded no time in which to brood over them properly as he was quite well known to do. Cloud really needed to 'catch on his brooding time', as Tifa would often say to their friends by way of explanation whenever he was missing from the group gathering or his place at the dinner table was once again vacant during dinner with Tifa and Denzel at the Seventh Heaven.

It was because of this quiet time that when his thoughts shifted again. He found himself mulling over Angeal's condition and that lead to contemplation about his lack of weapon at the present time. His thoughts continued to meander through his head stopping by the Genesis and the holes he had noticed with regards to his sword play. Zack's swordplay had been improving steadily as he came to be more familiar with his beloved Buster Sword. Thought's then drifted to the newly promoted first class SOLDIER Kunsel and his current lack of signature weapon. To sum it all, Cloud was concerned.

Cloud's concern stemmed from the conviction that it was necessary for all the elite members of Soldier first class to be both impeccably trained and properly equipped with any and all necessary weapons; after all, in the event that either Sephiroth or himself ever succumbed to insanity and threatened the planet once again; the task of stopping them would be resting solely in their hands and he wanted to make sure they had everything they could possibly need to accomplish their task. If in fact, he were the one to go bonkers, Sephiroth would have no problem because he had all the tools he needed already, his legendary sword and even more legendary swordplay, but it was still no guarantee of victory when facing him in a true death match; especially an insane him. Sephiroth could definitely do enough damage on his own to weaken him, whereby the group could then finish the job.

Cloud frowned when another thought passed through his already crowded mind and he decided his next stop would not be Midgar after all.

* * *

"Where is _he_?"

Genesis was all piss and vinegar as he sat seething in his seat on the bleachers of the sparse training room. It was Friday evening and most soldiers were already retiring to their places of residence, getting a head start on their well deserved weekend of rest.

"It has been four days since the last call and he has not even been seen at the gate!"

"Genesis, you do know he is capable of taking care of himself, don't you?"

"It's not that I doubt his skill, Angeal. I am simply concerned he might resort to accidently killing himself somewhere along the road."

"He is still alive."

Genesis huffed in a manner which made obvious the fact that Sephiroth's 'connection' with Cloud ruffled his feathers. But what really irked him was Sephiroth acting as if he felt nothing about Cloud's absence; after all Genesis knew him better after the Nibelheim event and could clearly see that beneath his calm, cold mask, his green eyes were filled with anxiety towards the still wayward SOLDIER whom he regarded as a friend.

The door to the training room whooshed open and the inseparable duo of Zack and Kunsel, waltzed in. It would seem that after what the Science Department had put him through up to and including falsely reporting his death, Kunsel was immediately promoted to SOLDIER First Class.

"Hiya! I've got good news, you stalkers of Cloud!"

Zack was literally bouncing along while his companion followed him at a more sedate pace, though the smile he wore was almost on par with the Puppy's. Now that Kunsel was a first class SOLDIER he had begun limiting the use of his beloved helmet to missions only, consequently revealing his darker shade of blue eyes which shone with a SOLDIERS tell tale mako glow and the short light brown spikes on top of his head. A sight that was so unfamiliar that even Zack had to gape for a few seconds when Kunsel had shown up without it the first time.

Angeal only raised his eyebrow at the new nickname, but Genesis bristled at it.

"For your information, we are not stalking him." He huffed with dramatic indignation.

Sephiroth, did not seem to pay any mind to it at all, but plowed directly to the point, "What is this news you say you have?"

"I just heard from Aeris that Cloud's already back in Midgar!" Zack sang out as he bounced merrily on his feet.

"I checked and his status was changed to stand-by sometime within the last two hours."

Genesis instantly flipped open his slim PHS; a technological wonder, courtesy of Cloud's future world and Tuesti's engineering aplomb, he pressed the appropriate buttons and checked the log for SOLDIER's status. Cloud's status had indeed changed from 'off to Wutai' to 'stand-by'.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, was frowning slightly in concentration, using his S-cells he shared with the blond to locate his position and confirm the new information.

"Well, good to know that he'll be here in time for our regular gathering then." Angeal looked pleased.

"Wait– what gathering, Angeal? You never told me about any regular gathering!"

Angeal chuckled at his pupil's whining.

"It started with the three of us way before you became First Class Zack. It's a quiet time for us to sit and chat."

"But how come you've never invited me after I was made First Class?" Zack looked as if he might burst into tears at the slight.

Kunsel laughed lightly beside him and thumped him on his back. "You'd just find some way to ruin their quiet time, Zack." He emphasized the word quiet deliberately much as Angeal did moments before.

"Waah! No fair! I wanna come! I can be quiet too ya know!"

"Not for more than Five minutes at a stretch from what I have observed" Genesis retorted.

"Genesis, you wound me" Zack declared with as much melodrama as he could muster.

"Hah! As if I could ever hurt you, your skin is thicker than the hide of a behemoth!"

"What? You're a meanie!" Zack pouted.

Angeal and Kunsel could only laugh at the banter.

"Cloud is coming."

The simple straight forward sentence uttered by the General caught all the room's occupant's attention like a gunshot and almost immediately the door to the training room, once again, whooshed open and there he was.

* * *

If Cloud was surprised that he had a welcoming committee waiting for him in the training room where he had sensed Sephiroth was so he could report for duty, his expression did nothing to give it away. His face did not change save for a momentary widening of his clear blue eyes. The, he supposed, 'pleasant' surprise shone most blatantly when his gaze landed on his still very much alive best friend, Zack; a fact that sometimes still slipped from his mind since said mind was so very accustomed to picturing his friend bloody, riddled with bullet holes and very much dead on that cliff. This tendency to still draw up pictures from his past, also infringed on Aeris, whom he had visited earlier, and the images of her which jumped into his head when he had cause to think of her; not pleasant.

"Hi, Cloud! Nice trip?" Zack bounced toward him happily before suddenly pouncing on him; drawing the blonde in for one of his signature bear hugs, of which Cloud generously accepted. Upon being released from Zack's clutches, Kunsel was next to give him a brief hug.

"Hey Cloud, it's nice to have you around again!"

Cloud blushed slightly at the words as he then felt the weight of Angeal's hand as he dropped it onto his right shoulder where he wore no pauldron.

"Welcome back, Cloud."

This time, Cloud winced inwardly as he was anticipating the possibility of a hug from the much bigger SOLDIER, Angeal laughed when he felt the slight flinch from the smaller man, no doubt realizing what was going through Cloud's mind.

"Relax Strife, I'm not planning to hug you."

Suddenly blur of red leather appeared as Genesis grabbed his shoulders and spun him around scrutinizing every inch of him. Once satisfied that the blonde was in one piece, Genesis let go of him and frowned.

"What were you thinking? For the love of Minerva, you walked to Modeoheim and then walked to Wutai! Determination and stubborness are just a step away from idiocy. Or you just like to torture yourself? Inquiring minds want to know."

Cloud shrugged, "It was a nice walk." Angeal rolled his eyes, at the simple declaration while Zack and Kunsel laughed aloud. Genesis just looked like his usual annoyed self.

"The princess was unharmed, I take it?"

Cloud glanced to the last occupant of the room, nodded once to his question and muttered,

"Yeah."

"Good. Does this mean you have reclaimed her as your friend like she had been in the past?"

Cloud was rather startled by the silver-haired General's inquiry, but his mind quickly caught up with his motor skills again and he wordlessly nodded his reply. Then something flickered briefly in those brilliant green eyes, catching Cloud's attention; was that jealousy he saw there just underneath a look of relief? It was hard to be sure once the perfectly chiseled face of his former lifetime enemy settled back to the slight frown that it often wore.

Cloud suddenly felt unbelievably awkward; so he gruffly added the qualifier, "More like her babysitter, actually" to his previous response.

Surprisingly, the frown lessened and green eyes were free of all things negative upon hearing those few extra words.

"Hey, speaking of having a babysitter, you do you know Vincent's tailing you, right?"

Cloud turned to look at Zack and nodded, "How could I not?" deadpanned Cloud, 'His red cape is practically a flag."

The room's occupants all chuckled at this observation.

"It must mean that he cares about you" chided Angeal lightly.

Cloud stayed silent, feeling awkward once again.

"So this means you now have some of the friends from your previous existence in your life once again" mused Genesis as he raised his eyebrow in speculation and lay his hand elegantly across his chest patting lightly over his heart.

Cloud looked at him as the unspoken worry of the man suddenly dawned on him. Genesis was worried that Cloud would abandon them all in favor of the friends he once had from the life he once knew and truth be told that very same question lingered on the General's mind as well.

The thought of leaving Shinra to go off with his 'newfound' friend Yuffie or going into solitary hiding out with Vincent was actually at times really tempting, but then again, he could not help but feel that the idea of abandoning Zack and Aeris, when his wish of both of them being very much alive had finally been granted and he was able to see them smiling at him on a daily basis, was ill advised. Cloud was also fond of Kunsel to a degree not afforded most people, perhaps it stemmed from the materia sessions and sword training he had given the man, after all it had placed them in each other's presence for many, many hours and they had, as a result, gotten to know one another.

As for the other three First Class SOLDIERs, he was, understandably, in possession of some very mixed feelings. While he no longer considered Sephiroth to be his mortal enemy, he was still a bit wary of him and sometimes his presence could still induce certain tic-like movements he remembered having from his weaker days. In short, he would have to admit that he was far too intrigued by the thought of being able to so closely observe a Sephiroth who was sane and to possibly see him from a more positive perspective; not in the idol awed, star struck way of when he was a boy, but as equals, to use him as an excuse to leave. Genesis had certainly helped a lot with respect to correcting things in this timeline and he did not appear to be anywhere near as bad as the memories he once claimed as his own, but were in fact the property of Zack made him seem. In fact if pressed, Cloud would have to admit that he had come to not only tolerate the temperamental, overly dramatic and strangely protective commander but respect and even admire the man as well; even if he did still question the man's obsession with Loveless.

Lastly, there was Angeal, for whom the degradation had become even worse than what he had recalled from yet another round of borrowed memories courtesy of his Zack Fair. Yes, there was still a past issue yet to be confronted about abducting him to be Hollander's guinea pig, which allowed the significantly more horrific experience of being one of Hojo's specimens for the second time. But Cloud had no problem understanding why he did what he did even if he sometimes felt ought to hold grudge toward him. But somehow he could not. Moreover, how could he disregard any person that a man of Zack Fair's moral caliber held in such high esteem. He was a comforting and stable presence compared to the other two of the three original First Class SOLDIERs and with Genesis's tendency to over dramatize and Sephiroth in possession of a sense of indifference that could freeze a lake. Hence, Cloud was willing to accept and forgive this man in spite of his transgression in an honest effort to restart their relationship without any baggage. Another positive aspect of Angeal came from his very Zack and Aeris like ability to understand him past the point where most just throw up their hands in defeat, instead of showing the kind of intuition and tenacity which led him to be the first one, even before Cloud, too discover his unconscious suicidal intention; or was it repressed?

With such a painfully long period of complete silence, during which all those in attendance, at varying places within its time frame, had given up entirely on the idea of an answer from the enigmatic blond, it was funny to see them all jump like nervous cats when Cloud unexpectedly sighed before stating quite clearly, "I have my friends here too."

The statement was not spoken awkwardly, though Cloud had been nervous as hell when he said it and consequently his spontaneous remark had the undesired effect of making the whole room fall into another awkward silence. Cloud barley managed to suppress the intense desire to fidget under the blatantly shocked expressions directed unwaveringly right at him. Then Zack let out a warning squeal, allowing a quick thinking Cloud to gracefully dodge the oncoming pounce from the bouncing ball of Zack rushing towards him. Turning quickly Cloud attempted to hide the crimson which had crept onto his cheeks and possibly find some manner of strategic retreat.

But before he could even try to exit the room, Angeal, who had recovered first, called out to him with a warm smile on his face, "Don't forget Strife, tonight, the usual place?"

Cloud only half turned, feeling, more than seeing, that his cheeks were still aflame with color, and nodded once before exiting the room.

* * *

Outside, he allowed himself to release the sigh he had been holding in for so long and chided himself for behaving like some teenager girl. An amused smile formed on his lips anyway as he recalled the group's reaction to his words. As he walked away he felt refreshed with the realization that he did indeed have friends here… and there. It was one of the nicest feelings he had ever felt.

Mean while, back in the training room

"Holy Mother of Gaia, he admitted that we're his friends!"

Zack, suddenly overcome by the euphoria of this thought, squealed in abject glee and pounced on the nearest person he could find, Sephiroth.

In the face of such sudden an assault, especially with his mind otherwise occupied with the conundrum that was Cloud; Sephiroth had no time to react and was currently getting a big taste of the infamous bear hug that Cloud had received courtesy of one extremely happy Zack Fair.

Angeal chuckled and Genesis wore a pleased looked upon his face that quite closely resembled smug.

Kunsel had quickly come to Sephiroth's aid, although he was grinning almost stupidly throughout the entire rescue.

"We really are his friends!" Zack exclaimed once again as he proceeded to bounce along after his other best friend who had just pried him from off of the general; no small achievement that's for certain and they were all rather proud of their newest member and his obvious skills. Come to think of it, they were all feeling a bit proud of themselves too; having been claimed as friends by the edgy blond who kept himself at a distance for so long. For this too would rightly be considered, no small achievement.

The ever stoic face of Sephiroth spoke volumes in this regard, for even he had an impossible time trying to keep the smile which kept creeping onto his face, from off his lips as he gave thought to his own hard won success of reaching his goal to befriend the difficult blond.

~End~

* * *

Author's note:

1. It won't make any sense if you do not read Sinnatious' The Fifth Act, so go read it first. It was an awesome piece!

2. I re-uploaded the beta-ed version. I notice that most reviewers do complain a lot about my English grammar and structure. Gotta apologize that my English is already rusty and dust-piling-up already. So well... it's a good thing I get a beta reader now. Anyway, be sure to hug and thank my beta up there for fixing things up.

3. Oh...there is a confusion regarding the holes in this story. Frankly, this story was supposed to be a drabble-length like 100-500 words but I did not recall how quickly they reproduced. More likely because my muse ran rampant -.-; Anyway, just be patient for the little plot there to be revealed eventually.

4. And one of other things, this story may be based a lot on Sinnatious' The Fifth Act but it was completed. I do not really making this a sequel but I just write stories in that story's time line. Mostly so I can experiment away. Hence, if there will be anything that are irrelevant to the original fanfic, I just can say, "It is to be expected." Sinnatious told me that he/she don't mind so I think, I am free to experiment away and twist the plot here and there to my own preference. Thus, lastly speaking, likewise what Sinnatious had said too, if you are unsatisfied or disagreed, well, you are free to develop your own plot.

5. Actually, I have to warn the readers that I cannot easily copy-cat Sinnatious' style and even most of the characters will be OOC even compared to the original fanfic. So for all my readers, do bear it with me, reviews and flames which commenting on this matter will be deleted. Well, I am my own self, not Sinnatious hence, it'll carry more of my writing style. But! I'm trying hard to produce one that, at the very least, resemble Sinnatious' Fifth Act.

6. Reviews are very much welcomed ^.^


	2. Childhood Problem

Title: Childhood Problems

Characters: Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Kunsel

Warning: AU, based on Sinnatious' The Fifth Act

Pairings: None for now ;P

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 5,668 according to Word 2007 (Why I keep writing it longer and longer? -.-; )

Beta-reader: Wintersheart1766

Author's Note: Yes, I've got the permission from Sinnatious to write a fanfic out of her/his fanfic. Yes, this is not a very-much sequel. Yes, I am shamelessly pimp my own ideas and twist around the story. So yes, this might resemble the original, except it has more spices ;P

Disclaimer: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States or any other countries, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from.

* * *

The usual gathering between Shinra's three original First Class SOLDIERs had now expanded to a Sephiroth's patience testing seven-man ordeal and the silver haired general would soon find himself fervently wishing for the return of the most recent configuration of only four men sitting around his office.

It started with the boisterous arrival of the well meaning, but thoroughly obnoxious Zack Fair, who seemed to be half walking with and half dragging the newest First Class SOLDIER Kunsel. Inexplicably, Cloud's timid little 'nephew', who had recently been dubbed 'Spike', followed just behind the other two men looking to the all the world as if he were being led to his own very painful execution.

Angeal sighed and shook his head; considering the puppy's earlier reaction to being left out it was not any big surprise to find this strange group of gate crashers standing sheepishly before him, Angeal obviously could not be upset the cadet or even with Kunsel , as he held no doubt as to who the 'ringleader 'of this reluctant circus was. The cadet's obvious unwillingness was easily the result of being coerced and/or abducted by the self appointed jester of Shinra. Angeal was being kind in his current musing; Genesis or Sephiroth would simply proclaim Zack the village idiot and be done with it.

As he ushered the three of them inside; Kunsel glanced at him apologetically, looking upon the surface to be appropriately contrite. Angeal however could clearly see the gleeful gleam within his eye, knowing that if eyes were matched to mouth in their expression, Kunsel would be grinning like an idiot. He and Zack were friends for a reason after all. Still, the man retained the presence of mind to try and apologize, only to have his apology cut off mid sentence by Angeal.

"What's done is done and I'm quite sure that everyone coming will realize who is behind the whole thing. Isn't that right... Zack?"

Cloud's 'nephew, the original Cloud of this timeline, would have very much liked to quietly apologize and excuse himself to save him from his own embarrassment as well as his guilt for a mere cadet like him interrupting a very important meeting. Regardless, of what Zack had told him, there was no way he would not be the awkward one in a room among all the Firsts, albeit he had known them before hand and had helped them through the Nibelheim case. He had tried to escape a couple of times, but struggling with "First Class Soldier Zack Fair" was an act of futility, as Zack continued to grin down at him widely, holding fast to the back of his collar like it was some kind of leash and affording young Strife exactly zero progress in his bid for freedom. He had _almost_ managed to slip an apology past Angeal when he was completely thwarted by the sudden, breath taking, larger than life appearance of General Genesis Rhapsodos.

Genesis, being somewhat aware of 'Cadet' Cloud's case of hero worship towards him, swept up to the group and smiled in a way that was reserved only for the still tiny and lean cadet; causing all of said cadet's coherent thoughts to take immediate flight straight out of his head. All the poor cadet could manage was a return to the red general's greeting, but in a voice so soft and so low it caused him to wonder if the boy had swallowed his own tongue somehow. At least he hadn't stuttered when he spoke, most of the other young cadet's that Genesis had encountered up to this point were all prone to this and he could never make out one word of what they were attempting to communicate to him; he could be thankful for that small blessing at least

And then there were five. Five male bodies now occupied the, slightly less spacious than usual, office of General Sephiroth's. Cloud's nephew was smushed between Zack and Kunsel on the big sofa and was currently devoting all his energy to not fidgeting nervously in the presence of the famed Soldiers and he was steadfastly determined to reclaim some of the dignity that he already had lost due to the careless antics of Zack Fair. The cadet took a moment to glare at Zack before taking up the much more enjoyable activity of casting what he thought were discreet adoring glances at Genesis, who was seated with Angeal on the single couches directly across from where he was sitting.

It was then that Sephiroth arrived bringing the occupant count up to the new record for most people in Sephiroth's private office at one time. Sephiroth, being the distinguished and unshakable man that he is, took the scene before him in stride; the only visible sign of its effect on him being the upward arch of one silver eyebrow as he took a seat behind his dark mahogany desk. Yes, outside Sephiroth remained the unflappable, epitome of cool, however, inside Sephiroth was absolutely sure that his office was running out of oxygen.

First Class SOLDIER Cloud Strife was the last to arrive, reacting much the same as Sephiroth had to the much expanded members of the 'usual gathering'. The office was fresh out of places to sit noticed Sephiroth, but he also knew that 'big' Cloud preferred to stand anyway seeing as he was always the one mixing the drinks for them all. It was a skill that had won him high praise from both Zack and Kunsel upon its discovery.

Cloud graciously delivered everyone's drinks, heavy on the alcohol for the SOLDIERs in attendance, but nothing more than straight up lemonade for his younger self which was why the boy was now scowling at him with as much contempt as he could muster. Angeal retrieved a chair from an adjacent office and Cloud settled down into it with a soft sigh and sipped leisurely at his drink

The talks revolved around their daily life as SOLDIER and some cadet practice as well, not wanting to leave Spike out of the conversation. Cloud, the ever silent one, astounded everyone by actually agreeing to tell of his recent adventures in Modeoheim and Wutai; that is once he had swallowed the final sip of his third drink mind you.

During the many and varied courses of their conversations, Cloud found his gaze continually returning to rest upon his young 'nephew' and he suddenly realized that, much to his shame, he had as of yet, done nothing in the effort to forge some kind of bond with this boy. This long ago shadow of himself who looked exactly, walked exactly, talked exactly, was exactly himself at that age.

Now, one might be tempted to think that because it would seem impossible for the two not to know each other like the backs of each other's hands, or that the 'discovery' of the really cool fact that they just 'happen' to like or dislike so many of the same things would make befriending the boy a piece of cake, but think about it; when has anything ever come easily to someone with the name Cloud Strife? And with him as well as his 'nephew' bearing that name, he couldn't help but pray things wouldn't have to be twice as hard in order to find their way to the solid uncle and nephew relationship he was striving for.

Cloud supposed that it couldn't hurt things to at least talk to the boy. He thus far .knew very little of how things were going and how he was adjusting to his new life here. He really was quite curious as to what things would have changed and what remained unchanged in comparison to _his_ first go round as a cadet. He truly hoped that somehow _this_ Cloud Strife never had or would have to experience the cruelty and loneliness that came with being bullied by your peers.

Cloud softly cleared his throat before asking his younger counterpart.

"So...How goes your cadet life …uh Spike?"

Suddenly all eyes shot straight to the cadet who hesitated a momentarily under the scrutiny, before intelligently answering, "Um...it's okay."

It was still hard to think of himself as the uncle of someone that he knew to be himself, the self that had yet to become tainted by the tragedies of his previous existence. Still, he had definitely found the answer the boy had supplied to be…unsatisfactory, he decided to press further.

"Really, you're not having any problems?"

He knew that the scope of the question was vast, and didn't come anywhere close to pinpointing the area of trouble or problems that Cloud was interested in knowing about, but he was unsure how one would best approach the subject of bullying or anything like that. Perhaps it would be better if he waited until he could speak to his nephew alone. Gaia knew that the young cadet had to be experiencing some type of fallout with regards to his close personal friendship with not just one, or even two, but ALL freaking four of the highest ranking members of SOLDIER, one of which just happened to be his look- a- like, same named Uncle.

"Um...no."

Cloud didn't have a clue how to proceed in the face of the cadet's frustrating mono-syllabic answers without it becoming akin to bullying the boy himself and so yet another awkward silence descended upon the room. But if Zack were good for anything, he was good for slaying those very silences as easily as he would slay any monster in his path.

"Spike's doing pretty good actually! Right, Kunsel?"

Kunsel nodded his head in agreement and added with a chuckle, "He's a bit lacking in power house abilities, but his speed and agility tend to balance things ou; as for academics his memory is remarkable but he has difficulty in understanding some of the reading assignments from his class text books, I don't think many of the words are in his vocabulary."

Cloud sometimes forgot that both Zack and Kunsel enjoyed going down to barracks to interact with the green cadets and were often seen raising their morale in the cafeteria or on the field. Being First Class SOLDIERs hadn't changed a thing.

"You cannot read?" Genesis face wore the most incredulous expression Cloud had ever seen. The utter shock displayed by such a revelation was nothing new for Cloud, but people forgot that Nibelheim was really not even a village by most standards. There was no form of formal education there at all as Cloud knew from his previous experience.

Young Cloud did not answer immediately; feeling extremely awkward he ducked his head, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes fearing the disapproval he was sure they would hold. This was why he never wished for them, most of all his idol, to know that he struggled with the more advanced subjects because he didn't understand what he read. It had been bad enough when only Kunsel had come to be aware of what he swore no one would ever find out.

Silence from the 'future' Cloud prompted the raise of an elegant, silver eyebrow from the general sitting near to him, but Spike was a young Cloud and silence not yet being his forte felt the need to explain further.

"Um...there is no school back in Nibelheim. There's a reading class, but it's just the mayor's wife teaching us three days a week."

"Atrocious! Even back in Banora we have schools!" Genesis was positively fuming at this point.

"So that's the only instruction in reading you've had up to now?" Kunsel inquired sympathetically.

"Uh…I..Well, actually my Ma taught me so that I would understand the basics and that's all the classes would have taught anyway so I never had to attend the classes since I already knew all that." After his indifferent explanation the young cadet shrugged his shoulders again looking and acting in that moment very much like his good ole "Uncle Cloud" when the later was obviously trying to leave some of the truth untold, pretending to think it was unimportant.

"How about you, Cloud?" Angeal was curious about Cloud's experience and that curiosity was shared to an even greater extent by Sephiroth, whose gaze snapped up and over to the blond SOLDIER as soon as Angeals question reached his ears.

"There was no school in Nibelheim when I was there either and it seems that there has been no improvement in that area." He looked at his nephew as he continued, "I study up on more advanced subjects when time allows on my travels."

Cloud felt his head spinning a bit, he had never attended those classes either and also depended on his Ma for any instruction he'd received, did this mean he'd hit the nail on the head about the cadets being bullied back home? All the boy's dismissing gestures only served to further confirm his suspicions.

Genesis blanched, It just shouldn't be possible for someone as powerful, clever and yes, intelligent as this blonde warrior before him to be practically illiterate, it just didn't make any sense. He'd be damned if he allowed such a thing to occur again in this young cadet's life.

"Well then, cadet, we will simply have to tutor you."

Spike whipped his head around sharply enough to give the poor kid whiplash and stared dumbly at the red commander; his innocent blue eyes, still free of mako glow, were as wide as the saucers for his ma's favorite tea cups. But Genesis failed to notice as he had already begun typing on his PHS checking the cadet's and his own schedule for compatible times apparently.

"I am extremely fond of the subject Literature in particular, so if, by any chance, you happen to be taking that class, I will gladly tutor you, but should you have problems with any of your other subjects feel free to consult with me about those as well."

"Umm...but sir..."

"I have looked up your schedule as well as my own and it would seem we are both free next Thursday we will start the tutoring sessions then."

"Wow...that was fast, Genesis!" Exclaimed Zack.

"Are you sure, Gen? You have never taken an interest in even training before, much less tutoring one."

Genesis scoffed and waved away all the questions and obvious doubts, he could now see in the eyes of all who were present, with his elegant fingers.

"This is special case a chance to make a difference in an area I deem important and I am interested in. I have the needed time to spare. So why not?"

Genesis swept his hair out of his eyes, a gesture solely his, and continued, "Plus it would be an opportunity to way lay at least to some degree the 'all brawn, no brains' label that has all too often been stuck upon SOLDIERs as a whole... due to certain antics of a few." He glanced to Zack, with little thought of subtlety in case anyone had not realized he had been referring to the puppy's frequently reckless, bordering on idiotic stunts.

Zack, meanwhile, would have protested quite loudly if he were not busy trying not to choke on the drink he currently had coming out of his nose.

Cloud evidently did not want to know what was going inside the mind of the auburn haired male and simply decided to keep his own opinions on the matter too himself for the time being, but really, the very last thing he needed was for Genesis to corrupt his younger self in the many unthinkable ways that he could not the least of which causing the young man to become similarly obsessed over LOVELESS. Cloud didn't care how great the poem supposedly was. The whole tutoring idea also did not bode well with regards to the appearance of favoritism and the possible bullying backlash it might create.

However, Cloud could see, by the look in the young cadet's eyes and his slightly slack jaw as he continued to gaze upon his hero, that his worries were not enough of a reason to deny this opportunity to the boy. Of course, his younger counterpart would be thrilled at the idea of being taught by his idol but he couldn't help it if in the back of his mind there was still concern over it looking like favoritism and how Cloud's peers would react. He also worried over the imposition this may become for Genesis, regardless of it being at his insistence.

If there was one ideal that was ingrained in Cloud's personality it was his aversion to bothering others and his fierce determination to rely only on himself. It had drilled into his young mind by his Ma deeper and more indelibly than any drill sergeant could have ever hoped to have achieved. So for now he resigned himself to keeping a sharp eye on Genesis and these tutorial sessions, as well as his nephew's life down in the barrack.

"Thank you, Sir!" His younger self seemed to be grateful and amazed even if still a bit unsure.

Genesis, again, waved absently and simply said, "Thank me later after have worked hard enough to have succeeded. I expect diligence from you and no complaints. Understand that this will be a lot of hard work."

Zack laughed cheekily, "Looks like you're getting a raw deal, Spike!"

"Won't this be somewhat of a problem?" Sephiroth asked, keeping the tone of his voice neutral.

Cloud, however, was still able to surmise that his mind had no doubt been thinking along the same lines as his own.

Genesis raised eyebrow in frustrated defiance "I have the time, he has the time, so what's the problem." He asked curtly. Genesis took the general's question to be a thinly veiled ploy to prevent his tutoring the boy out of jealousy and really jealousy no was simply not becoming of the General.

"I am merely concerned about whether this could wind up being viewed by some as favoritism or not."

The calm sentence from Sephiroth in effect seemed to douse everyone in the room with a nice big bucket of ice cold water, as they were rudely just reminded that such a possibility did indeed exist.

Sephiroth fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose like some dusty old librarian and sighed "I personally have no objection to the Commander's tutoring you but in the face these unusual circumstances I feel I must ask...Do you have any sort of… problems with your peers?"

The question was finally out not from Cloud's mouth, he thought somewhat sheepishly, but after few moments he decided that it was probably better that the question had come up more naturally as a relevant part of the conversation rather than him just springing it on him out of the blue some time.

"Um...there's a few I guess–" His voice was soft and hesitant. Spike looked troubled, not knowing which choice was better; he could either lie or say the truth. Cloud could practically feel the cadet's conflicting thoughts as they battled in his head, being that he had once been in the very same position.

"What?" yelled Zack, as he jumped to his feet "Why is it that I know nothing about this? Spike, why didn't you say something?"

"Because... mostly it's just stupid kid stuff, like name calling. I'm used to it and I can handle it myself."

The cadet shrugged once again, the frown he wore on his face was a mixture of irritation and utter embarrassment at not being thought able to handle this matter on his own; he deserved a little more credit than that and while it was true that most of the incidents were only verbal taunts, there had been some close calls he had luckily managed to avoid when some of the bullies decided to get physical. If they found out about that he'd be escorted by one of them everywhere he went like some baby that needed his hand held. Ha! He'd be lucky if they let him visit the latrine by himself. So he stubbornly kept his silence on the matter.

Damn, Angeal could feel himself sobering up more every moment; he suspected that there was more going on than what their cadet friend was telling them; but seeing the boy had clammed up like a clam, he could only think to say, "Well...as long as you're sure you can handle it, we will leave it to you for now. However, if this bullying becomes something more dangerous than what you truly can handle, you should report to your superior or to Zack or Kunsel here. Do you understand, cadet?"

"Yes, Sir." Spike nodded solemnly.

It would seem the accursed, yet admirable stubbornness of Strife's really was a family trait after all, thought Angeal.

With that the whole matter was closed and they gratefully talked about anything else.

It was almost nine when Spike jumped up suddenly in a panic as he had just been assaulted by the reappearance of rule number two of the ShinRa cadet handbook which had inconveniently been missing from his mind until now; said rule stated in no uncertain terms that all cadets without the prior knowledge and approval of their superior and not assigned to some work detail that would keep them from fulfilling this rule are required to adhere to a barracks curfew. And he was late.

Zack and Kunsel decided it would be best to accompany him back should there be any problems despite the onslaught of protests from the tardy cadet.

Before they could excuse themselves, Cloud asked his younger self, "Are you free tomorrow?"

Numerous spikes, much longer than his own, were caused to bob up and down in synch with the movement of young Cloud's head as the cadet nodded his affirmation.

"Have your training gear ready and wait for me in the cafeteria at 09.00. We'll be using the SOLDIER training room"

"Uh...but..."

"You will be with me and we'll have less audience." He shrugged.

Spike nodded and said sheepishly, "Okay."

Cloud however, only nodded, "Good night, Cloud."

Both the usually talkative Firsts were taking certain measures not to mention the issue of bullying anymore, so that the night's pleasant atmosphere would not be sullied by either the grim topic itself or by their over-protective tendencies toward the young blond cadet. After all it would not be fair to ruin his first night out simply because they were still very unsettled by the news that incidents of bullying, in which the blond had been targeted, had managed to slip unseen and unheard passed their radars. And they both had every intention of seriously looking into the matter.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back in the rapidly re-oxygenating office of General Sephiroth_

"Gonna teach him some self-defense moves while you're training?"

Cloud looked up at Angeal and shrugged but said nothing as he collected the empty glasses, mind and muscle worked automatically like they had done so long ago when was still helping Tifa at the bar.

"Were you bullied too?" Angeal was certainly sharp. Not much if anything got past him. And if he knew…the others likely knew as well.

"Were-being the keyword." He answered in an unintentionally, but unavoidably clipped tone of voice.

Genesis strangely chuckled, "Of course it is, seeing how you carry that giant sword now, it's no wonder, who would be stupid enough to bully now, besides our dear Sephiroth that is."

Sephiroth sighed with a sense of frustration that said this was an often debated subject that he no longer wished to debate or as most would put it, a sore subject, "I do not bully him. I was merely asking for a spar."

Genesis laughed out loud at his friend's social ineptitude giving Cloud a chance to turn his attention towards Angeal, whom he began to discreetly, but thoroughly inspect.

It has already been several months since he had given the cure to Angeal. And though the cure was successful there were still some minor lingering signs of his degradation remaining. It could have been worse though and all in all he looked pretty healthy, but Cloud still could not help but ask, after all he needed his help with something.

"How was your scheduled check-up?"

Angeal raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was another topic that could be considered a sore subject and Angeal went to great lengths to make sure that it died shortly after they got back to Midgar, but seeing the serious way blond was currently appraising him Angeal decided to allow it. He took a moment to feel about his body with his mind and after sensing no signs of degradation, he replied, "I'm fine and the lab results have come out fine too."

Cloud nodded his approval and his relief was apparent in his eyes.

"Why do you ask, is something the matter, Cloud?"

Cloud looked up toward and found the other three staring at him with concern,

"Ah, no. It's good to hear that. I just want to make sure before..."

"Before?"

"Do you have time for a spar tomorrow, Angeal?"

The request had surprised the three of them into silence as Cloud usually sparred with Sephiroth.

"Uh..." Angeal stammered for he was surprised and still surprised, "Of course, tomorrow's my day off. When do you want to have it?"

"In the training room, around noon would be good if that's agreeable; I have it reserved for private use too."

"What about your nephew?"

"It's fine. With what I have planned for him and his current level of conditioning he'll be more than happy to just sit and watch by the time you arrive. I'm hoping that he'll learn something."

"I see. A few pointers and some practice during your training and then you and I let him see the how the moves work in a real fight? Not bad."

Cloud frowned a bit, wondering if this too might be looked upon as favoritism in the highly competitive world of SOLDIER training. But he could not resign himself to do nothing and the least he could do was train the boy a little, so that his younger self could better defend himself against the bullies, at least somewhat better than he had been able to. The damage caused to a person's self confidence could be very serious as a result of the mindless cruelty of others and while he did not wish to coddle his younger self, since some amount of hardship would be beneficial in the long run, he really wished the boy would not have to share such bad memories.

"I just wish..." There was an uncomfortable silence before Cloud mumbled out the rest of his sentence which was only heard because of SOLDIER's enhanced hearing. "... I could somehow spare him from the bad memories." The three of them understood the simple wish as each of them could relate it to themselves in some way.

Looking at this Cloud standing here before them, and thinking that if he was anything like the young cadet is now, back when he was his age, then it was not that hard to see, how the lean, slight and border line feminine look of his body and the angelic innocence of his face would have, no doubt, made him a prime target for bullying, or even worse, out and out sexual assaults. In a virtually all male military environment such as this, where hormones and stress ran rampant, and relief for such was few and far between, it was an all too common occurrence.

Wordlessly, the three of them vowed to keep their eyes on the still young and still innocent cadet as much as possible. Zack and Kunsel, they were sure, had already resigned themselves to do the same. After all, they still owed a certain little guy and owed him big with regards to the whole Nibelheim debacle.

The first thing they had to do was assure the blond that none of this was favoritism of any kind.

"It is not considered as unethical to facilitate the understanding of class materials unless evaluation details of an explicit nature are being divulged." Sephiroth stated neutrally.

"I am in complete understanding of the parameters in which I need to keep and I'm still intending to tutor him nevertheless." Genesis said, as he brushed the bangs off his face; it was a familiar, dramatic gesture that said his decision was set in stone.

"And by the way, you won't mind us tagging along to your spar as spectators?" Genesis inquired, but it was less a question than a statement of intent and one that booked no argument at that.

Cloud duly nodded as he proceeded to wash the glasses, relieved that perhaps they understood the weight of responsibility behind this simple act.

* * *

The following morning saw Cloud well rested and quite refreshed. Looking at the clock, he saw that he still had half and an hour to prepare himself for the day. First he took a hot shower and changed into his usual clothes minus the shoulder guard and the black sash that covered his left leg, just his black turtleneck and his black pants along with his sword harness. He hefted his blade which still had his materia slotted and placed it in the harness. Lastly, he grabbed his keys and other various essential belongings and headed out the door. He walked toward the cafeteria and found it to be deserted as he strolled up to the counter and grabbed two of the sandwiches they were serving. He also took a cup of hot water before heading to a spot he had scouted out earlier to sit down and wait. He pulled a tea bag he had purchased in Wutai out and plunked it into the hot water, he was quite relieved he had thought to make the purchase since everyone knew that Shinra's tea was simply awful,

He ate slowly, anticipating the coming spar with Angeal, as well as, giving defense instruction to his younger counterpart. He still had a lot to talk about with his younger version, especially about those bullies and whether it truly had not yet escalated to physical, still he suspected, that young Cloud was indeed trying to hide the truth out of the same sense of misguided shame that he had felt.

Soon he was joined by his younger version, who had also chose two sandwiches and steered clear of any tea or coffee served by Shinra, opting for plain hot water. With tray in hand he moved to join his uncle on the opposite seat.

"Good morning, uncle."Was the polite greeting he received, that and a small, but ready smile.

Cloud nodded and murmured his own greeting. He offered his nephew another tea bag which was gratefully accepted by him.

They both ate in silence since neither would ever be accused of being talkative. After some minutes had passed and Spike had all but completely devoured his sandwiches, he timidly asked his uncle.

"Are you going to instruct me?"

Cloud looked up from his cup and nodded, "Just few pointers here and there, nothing much."

His nephew chewed on the remainder of his last sandwich thoughtfully.

Cloud hesitated a moment before finally forcing out his next sentence.

"How bad are they bothering you?"

His nephew looked up at him seeming lost until his brain caught up with the question he'd been asked.

"Not too bad." He shook his head whilst shrugging a petite shoulder. "Usually they just call me stupid names."

"You said usually... does that mean they've actually hurt you a time or two?"

This time his nephew looked a bit surprised and then he shook his head firmly, "No. I was able to avoid them."

Cloud nodded in approval at the young man's self-control. It was a good thing to know when to make a strategic retreat. Running away for greater good was not a cowardly act and knowing that would be beneficial in the long term.

"Good."

He knew in his heart though that his nephew, just like he did at his age, felt like a coward and was ashamed that he avoided his adversaries, instead of standing up to and fighting them and in truth there would be little Cloud could do to convince him that avoiding fights such as these was much more beneficial than actually fighting them, even if one was assured of winning the brawl. That sort of understanding came only through age and experience, even though one may have been told a thousand times in the past; it will mean nothing to us until one have experienced enough to finally believe. But he would still try.

"It is not cowardly to avoid fights that would be fought for no good reason."

There was no real indication whether his nephew had even heard his statement, he only knew that his chewing had slowed slightly, but no words were uttered in response.

"I was bullied too you know, a long time ago."

Blue eyes, as wide as the day was young, stared at him as if he suddenly sprouted wings on his back.

"You?" Spike whispered in utter disbelief.

"Yes."

"Did you...?"

"Run?"

"Absolutely, it helped ensure I'd be around to train and learn to become what I am today, and today I almost never run."

The silence between them was thick for a moment before Cloud sighed, "There are times when you finally have to stand up and fight just to put a stop to it all, but sometimes, it just isn't worth it."

Young Cloud finished his sandwich and said, "Thank you, Uncle."

Cloud only nodded and wordlessly finished his breakfast, feeling a little lighter after offering his counsel to his younger self. He hoped that in some way the bullying would not be so hard on him anymore.

~End~

* * *

Author's note:

1. Continuation from Friends

2. It won't make any sense if you do not read Sinnatious' The Fifth Act, so go read it first. It was an awesome piece!

3. Reviews are very much welcomed ^.^


	3. Gifts

**Title:** The Gifts

**Characters:** Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Kunsel, Tifa Lockhart implied

**Warning:** AU, based on Sinnatious' The Fifth Act

**Pairings:** None for now ;P

**Rating:** PG-13

**Word Count:** 6,792 according to Word 2007 (Why I keep writing it longer and longer? -.-; )

**Beta-reader:** Wintersheart1766

**Author's Note:** Yes, I've got the permission from Sinnatious to write a fanfic out of her/his fanfic. Yes, this is not a very-much sequel. Yes, I am shamelessly pimp my own ideas and twist around the story. So yes, this might resemble the original, except it has more spices ;P

**Disclaimer:** All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States or any other countries, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from.

* * *

The Blond warrior and his young charge had just walked through the door of the SOLDIER training room; there they were greeted by an unusual scene. Zack and Kunsel were doing their typical warm up of innumerable squats in one corner, Sephiroth was currently leaning against the far wall attempting to look as nonchalant as possible while polishing a six foot katana, Genesis was lounging about on one of the spectator benches thoroughly absorbed in whatever book he was reading, most probably Loveless again and Angeal sat beside his childhood friend seemingly lost in thought.

Young Cloud hesitated and the look on his face said he was mortified.

"Hello there!" Zack called out with a wave "Wanna join us to warm up?"

Cloud shook his head, his feelings on the presence of his colleagues caught somewhere between irritation and amused affection towards the first class audience members, apparently they were interested enough in his and young Cloud's endeavor to adjust their schedules and plans just to be here. He only hoped it would not have the cadet so nervous that he either ran off, claiming some sudden illness, or blacked out entirely from severe performance anxiety related stress; Gaia if truth be told he was experiencing a bit of that himself at the moment, seeing as he had never instructed anyone before except for maybe Kunsel and Zack, who at the time, were already second class SOLDIER.

Cloud gave a slight nudge to his openly gaping nephew and gestured for him to join Zack and Kunsel's warm up. Those two should be able to distract him from his nerves, loosen him up a little mentally as well as physically before they got down to business.

He then moved to a nearby mat to begin his own warm up, just some necessary routine stretching before moving expertly into a favorite kata with his sword. Sephiroth was also moving through the sequence of his kata, body and sword moving fluidly as if they were one.

Once the warm up was complete, he led his young student through some of the more basic moves of hand-to-hand combat. At first the cadet's movements were very much lacking in any precision or grace, but this was most likely due to nerves and he chose not to comment, instead, he demonstrated the maneuver more slowly and then gestured for the cadet to try the movement again.

After a while, his nephew became more accustomed to the presence of the First Class SOLDIER's and began showing marked improvement in his performance. Cloud was inwardly quite proud of the boy's ability to focus; it was a trait he found just as valuable as any other in a warriors arsenal of needed skills, and it was clearly displayed in his younger self as he steadfastly repeated each of the movements carefully and without complaint until his Uncle felt he had preformed it correctly.

The next item on Clouds agenda was to teach his nephew a few basic, but extremely effective, defense techniques and a few offensive tactics as well. Cloud patiently corrected the cadet's stance when needed and gave constructive, positive input here and there, as well as, sincere words of praise and support when warranted.

The young cadet was positively drenched in sweat by the time Cloud finally decided he was ready to move up to a light spar for the purpose of evaluating his nephew's ability. At first, Spike stepped back into his nervous, hesitant mode of operation, but after a bit of reassurance from Cloud, he agreed to give it a go.

The spar, being so completely unequal with regards to the participant's level of skill and experience was merely educational; Cloud and Zack were in disagreement as to what the purpose of this spar should be however. Zack was of the mind that Cloud needed to school his nephew on how to defend himself, as well as how to best capitalize on and use his current strengths, being his agility and his speed, to his greatest advantage.

Spike's strength and subsequent musculature was bit on the low end just as Kunsel had said, but using his speed and agility tended to balance things out well enough for the time being. It was really just the matter of allowing time and experience to develop both his body and his instincts. It would, in time, become second nature to read an opponent's movements allowing himself the advantage of being one step ahead of his enemy at all times.

All in all, the boy did rather well for one as young and unenhanced as he. Serious improvement was still needed in the area of strength especially and he, of course, should continue honing his speed and agility. Cloud would need to regularly set new goals for the cadet in those areas so that the boy would never have the chance to grow complacent.

Cloud could see that his younger self had reached his physical limit and could not be pushed any further without risking injury; effectively putting an end to the physical portion of the youth's training for the day. The fact that he held his own until now was to be admired and it spoke volumes of his inexhaustible determination, otherwise known as his stubbornness, which was yet another trait shared abundantly between the Strife's. Calling his nephew over to him, Cloud handed him a bottle of water and told him to cool off, before he ended up passing out. The look of relief that washed over the cadet's face was classic.

"Wow! Said Zack, bounding over to the two blonds, "That was quite a spar, eh Spike? You did real well going up against your uncle like that; he usually beats me down in like a minute!"

"Anyway, your endurance is pretty good for the amount of training you've had, so just think how it could be if we really work on it! The sky's the limit there blondie!" Zack was practically electric in his enthusiasm and Cloud was almost sure he had seen a few sparks flying off the man as he spoke.

"You sure did look good out there Spike! And if we can increase your speed and agility with a regular and rigorous circuit of training–you, my young friend, will be unstoppable." Kunsel offered with true conviction.

Angeal was the next to offer an opinion.

"I saw some nice basic forms out there, cadet, still, they were not as solid as I would like to see them and with some hard work and competent instruction, I am more than confident in your ability to bring them up to a level more worthy of yourself."

"A true warrior needs to know his strengths and take advantage of them. I, for instance, am not equipped with bulky muscles, unlike most of the SOLDIERs and it was more so in my younger days, yet I have added to my skills a number of trickier, sneakier moves that work best when the one utilizing them is, as you are, small, agile and quick."

With a toss of his auburn bangs and a flash in his teal colored eyes, Genesis continued.

"I shall be pleased to instruct you on a few of these moves that coincide with the level of difficulty at which you are now training and the more advanced ones as you continue to advance...if you would like, of course." Genesis seemed to say everything as if he stood upon a foot lit stage, but thankfully his words were no act and he was utterly sincere.

Sephiroth was no less impressive for his more succinct and rather Spartan manner of speech, "Improve your strength and also your footwork."

This was the sum total of their advice; given with sincere concern for the well being and desire for the success of Cadet Cloud Strife of Niebelheim and it had been offered up by the highest of the high on anyone's list of skilled, brave, strong, intelligent, dangerous, deadly men and young Cloud was appropriately humbled by the gift he had just received.

With regards to the cadet's continued training, they all agreed that the need to increase his strength took precedence.

When the boy looked somewhat perplexed, Sephiroth stepped in and explained, "Your speed and agility will be improved automatically, to some extent, simply through increased endurance, and running is the most effective option for that. It will be more beneficial if you increase the frequency that you run, as well as the duration of time that you run for. Traversing different terrains and elevations is also very helpful and it isn't as boring that way."

Zack then continued as he looked the cadet in the eyes, "As for strength, me and Kunsel here can give you a few exercise techniques that you can add to the strength regime that the PT sergeant gives to your squad every Tuesday. You will also need to increase the amount of repetitions, as well as the weight of resistance you use as often as you are able, but DON'T overdo it Spike." Zack warned.

Cloud's nephew dutifully nodded and politely answered, "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

Kunsel, having not yet had a say, spoke up "Take more time to warm and stretch your muscles before you train; not only does it decrease the chance of injury, but it increases flexibility. Flexibility is essential to many of the awesome mid air sword moves that you see Genesis and Sephiroth use in battle. As for footwork; it can be improved by solidifying your basic forms, practice them every chance you get. When you feel you have them mastered, you can test yourself by doing the movements within a varied but controlled speed. Try putting on some music and repeat the moves in accordance with the beat."

"Wow! That'd be like dancing, wouldn't it?" snickered Zack.

Cloud interjected, in a voice laced with amusement, "It will be a lot more fun doing it that way. Sometimes I used it to develop coordination and practice footwork."

Zack went wide eyed and speechless, so Angeal, stepped in and said evenly, "I am more than sure that each of us has, at one time or another, encountered and utilized some creative method of training, and with positive results to boot. I am actually reminded of something about using a Sylkis Green hat and a chochobo when we worked on your somewhat sluggish reflexes, Zack" His tone was light and teasing as one could see the amusement that danced within his eyes.

Kunsel was trying very hard not to snicker, but failed and Sephiroth merely shook his head, as he remembered the mountain of paperwork that particular act had produced for him.

"Aww, Angeal! You promised not to talk about that anymore!" Zack whined, all the while wearing his cute puppy pout. "It's not like I'm making fun of Cloud. I was really just making an observation in the first place, I swear!"

Cloud only chuckled at his friend's antics and was suddenly struck by just how much he had missed his best friend and his many quirks', he had, after all, been lost to him for a very long time. Hence, being here and standing side by side with him once again was nothing short of a miracle, a gift, and just as he had before, even more so, he intended to treasure it.

I knew I was right to take up a dance class." said Genesis appearing smug as usual.

"That was only because you wanted to learn how to dance, Gen." reminded Angeal as he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

The blond cadet stared up at his uncle with grateful blue eyes.

"Thank you, Sir... I mean Uncle."

Cloud nodded, "Cool down and have a rest. I have arranged a match with Commander Hewley and want you to watch it carefully; you will no doubt find it helpful in understanding much of what you learned in our training session as I will be demonstrating a few of the maneuvers as will Angeal."

"I will."

Cloud looked toward Angeal and as if on cue, Angeal stood from his seat on the bench and casually walked toward the blond.

"Will we be using weapons?"

"No weapons, hand to hand combat only." Cloud removed his sword from its harness before removing the harness altogether. He placed both items in the care of a rather surprised Zack Fair who accepted the responsibility as if it were a sacred oath. He would have allowed his nephew to tend them, but was afraid he would be distracted and not pay close enough attention to the match.

Angeal smiled and raised his eyebrow, "Never knew you could fight without a sword, Strife. Who was it that taught you how to use your fists?"

Cloud shrugged and simply said, "Fists are just one of many weapon choices I've experimented with."

They turned and walked toward the centre of the training room to begin the necessary stretching and warming of their muscles.

Angeal picked up the previous conversation where they'd left off by asking, "Some of them or all of them?" He was intrigued and it would not be a surprise to him if in fact the blond was able to wield every type of weapons that Gaia had ever seen.

Cloud readied himself, rearranging his limbs into a less familiar 'sword free' stance. There was a moment of silence before both of them moved forward; the spar had now begun.

* * *

Much to the surprise of his opponent, as well as the spectators, it was the less experienced SOLDIER, Cloud, who attacked first; in the blink of an eye he had dropped to the ground sliding easily into range and kicking out his leg in an attempt to bring the larger man down by sweeping him off his feet...literally. Angeal almost didn't find the time to avoid the strike, but he jumped high in the air, effectively evading blonds' leg.

Any sense of relief Angeal may have experienced was short lived. A fraction of second later; the agile warrior with the innocent looking blue eyes launched his second strike against the veteran SOLDIER. Currently still up in the air, Angeal again managed to defend himself against the coming strike; blocking the oncoming Cloud with his left arm, while firing off a counter attack with his right that was, in turn, easily deflected by the younger warrior.

Angeal had not much been surprised by his opponent's speed or agility, although he felt perhaps Cloud had been concealing the true level to which his skills had reached, but if he were anyone other than who he was, the stoic, serious minded, commander, his jaw might well have taken up residence on the gym's floor in response to the expertly preformed, but completely unorthodox choice for his opening move.

A flurry of movement, so impossibly fast it was difficult to see, was exchanged between the hands and arms of the two SOLDIERS. The brief melee lasted only the few seconds they remained airborne and as soon as their boots touched the ground Cloud surprised him once again; launching into a somersault that ended in a kick vicious enough to knock Angeal back a couple of feet and onto his knees. Both opponents were now on opposite sides of the sparring area, Angeal was crouching down, his eyes never leaving the blond as he wiped away trickle of blood from his recently split lip.

"Angeal!" Genesis' voice laced with worry as he straightened up on his seat. Zack, too, was similarly worried as well as amazed by eyes that had grown wide and wet seeing his mentor get kicked around by the smaller man.

Sephiroth was more than amazed by the spar up to this point.

Angeal, kept his calm and straightened up, wiping again at the already drying blood which had come from the, now virtually healed, wound to his mouth. He held up a hand toward Genesis to stop his mother-hen antics and to reassure him that everything was fine.

Cloud was calmly inputting a code sequence into the VR computer and suddenly they all were in an abandoned building full of debris.

Angeal raised an eyebrow, far from being, in any manner, put out by recent events; he found himself amused and excited, hell, even delighted by the knowledge that the blond could give his ability in hand-to-hand combat a run for its money. He hadn't realized, with everything that had happened, how much he wished for and needed a challenge in this area of his life. Both Sephiroth and Genesis were really not suitable; in their opinion, being schooled in the art of hand to hand combat was a necessary evil, using it in battle was a last resort.

"Needed a little change of scenery?"

Cloud merely shrugged, but Angeal could see his eyes were bright with the kind delight that was reserved for a particularly good fight. Angeal felt a bit of pride swelling in his heart, for up until now, he had only ever seen the brightness, currently alight in the young warrior's eyes, when he sparred with General Sephiroth.

"I just thought it might be fun with more things to play with." He said and once again fell to a ready position.

Angeal barked out a laugh as he followed Cloud's lead, taking position, ready to strike.

"Let's make a good show for them, shall we?" Angeal finished his sentence with a smirk and launched the next strike. Absently, he thought perhaps this was what Sephiroth felt whenever he sparred with the quiet SOLDIER. High on adrenaline and mako as it pumped forcefully though his wonderfully excited heart. It was sensation that he could truly become addicted to.

* * *

The next strike was again Angeal's, his speed increased noticeably as he attempted to slam his open hand against the blonds' solar plexus; a move easily blocked by Cloud, but Angeal was not deterred as he brought his feet into play attempting to kick the back of his opponent's knees hard enough to bring him down. His point of impact was not quite right though, and the affect of the hit on the blond was slight and though it caused the blond to step back and postpone the attack he'd been gearing up for, it was only for a second.

Cloud launched a series of well practiced hits that drove Angeal back into a defensive stance, as he searched for an opening, which he found. Angeal raised his left hand as if to strike. Cloud automatically moved to block the incoming hit, his actions leaving his left side unguarded and Angeal pulled back on the feigned hit at the last second, twisting around sharply and connecting hard with the unguarded portion of Cloud's face.

The hit to his left jaw had Cloud seeing stars that danced to the tune of the ringing in his ears. He replayed the exchange in his mind and was able to pin point his error, but still slightly dazed, he was aware only of his feet leaving the ground as he was thrown several feet away. Sitting up where he landed, Cloud inspected his bruised jaw with his fingers and found it still intact, the bruise already succumbing to the healing effects of mako.

Cloud lurched to his feet, no time to regain his balance, as he could feel, more than see that the stocky First Class SOLDIER was coming at him again. Cloud twisted his body instinctively to parry, and then feinting to the right, he launched his counter-attack.

The intense fighting continued as Cloud threw a punch blocked easily by Angeal who countered with his knee and was also blocked. A blur of blond jumped back and was closely followed by its black haired opponent, who was met by a well-aimed upper twist kick. Dodging slightly Angeal evaded the worst of the kick and caught hold of the trespassing foot, causing Cloud to somersault backwards allowing the moves momentum to force the release of his foot. Angeal was having none of it. He used the same leverage Cloud used to gain his momentum, causing Cloud to be thrown hard into the wall across from them where he slid easily on the smooth surface back to the ground and instantly sprang back into action, becoming a blur of quick, expert movement.

A series of kicks and punches rained down on Angeal; all of which were skillfully blocked save for that one well-aimed kick, said kick sent the man flying toward the spectator benches that now appeared to be wooden crates in the virtual scenery, his body coming just short of a colliding with a terrified Kunsel before the airborne man dropped into a tuck and roll landing technique, smoothly winding up in a crouched and ready stance.

Cloud and Angeal, having found themselves some distance from one another, stood appraising each other as they kept a wary eye open for any indication of attack. They also enjoyed the brief intermission, wiping the sweat from their brows and taking a few deep breaths before they danced again.

* * *

"Gaia! I never knew Cloud could move like that!" Zack was beyond awed at what he had been seeing, at times becoming breathless at the image of these two fighters as they exchanged rapid blows and expertly preformed combat moves running the gamut from basic, to some so advanced that even he did not recognize them. It was absolutely stunning.

"And I thought it was swordplay he preferred," Kunsel said with a low whistle of admiration.

"He's quick and agile and has used those skills far more in this spar than brute strength. This is what your uncle wishes to show you, young Strife."

Genesis, in thinking of this strange man, who had, in time, shown himself to be the unassuming savior to them all, not just to Genesis as it had begun, decided he was most pleased with the new revelations he saw within his fighting style. It was a style that favored heavily his speed and agility, a style that was similar to his own and he was warmed by the thought of their similarity in this area, as well as being duly amazed at the extent to which Strife was able use these skills to his advantage against Angeal's brute strength and solid defense forms.

Spike nodded, and then thoughtfully added, "Some of his moves seem familiar."

Genesis raised an eyebrow at his statement which made Spike flush as he hurried to explain, "A lot of it is almost like Tifa's moves back home in Nibelheim."

"Tifa?"

"Ah, yes." Genesis and Sephiroth said in unison, as recognition shone on their faces.

"Woo-hoo! Tifa's your sweetheart eh?" Zack mock swooned over the poor kid. Spike said nothing, ducking his head to hide the almost lethal shade of crimson that had taken up residence on his face before finally managing to mumble out, "She's my friend back there."

Sephiroth seemed to be contemplating something before inquiring, "How is it familiar?"

Spike looked up at Sephiroth, but hesitated to answer the General's question. Then, after apparently giving it some thought, he replied. "Uh...the upper twist kick and somersault kick? Well, they were some of her best moves; she practiced them all the time. Maybe my uncle knew her trainer or something?"

Genesis mulled over the idea for a while before commenting, "He does seem to use kicks more often than punches. His feints are more involving of footwork and lower body movement as well, rather different from Angeal's usual feints that use upper extremity gestures. His moves are more complex than Angeal's. Just look at that."

He motioned to the display of rather complex movements being utilized by the blond at the moment; a twist, a feint, a punch then a twist before crouching to deliver an upper twist kick.

"He has a bit of a dance before he strikes, unlike Angeal's more direct approach."

"All in all his fighting style is similar to one a female would be likely to adopt, especially in a fight with someone of superior strength; that is to say a female or someone of a smaller stature, provided they possesses the proper speed and agility to pull them off," observed Sephiroth.

"So that means she–!"

"Zack!" Kunsel prevented his friend from commenting further and unwittingly revealing the secret Cloud was keeping from his 'nephew'; that, of course, being that he really wasn't his nephew at all.

"Oh right! Sorry, man." Zack scratched his hair sheepishly as he had momentarily forgotten about the young supposed nephew of Cloud Strife.

"I always wondered how Cloud came to favor his rather aggressive style of fighting, be it in swordplay or melee combat," admitted Sephiroth.

"Funny, he usually strikes me as being a more level-headed, 'think before they act' type of person, unlike Zack here," stated Kunsel with a grin.

"Hey!" A playful shove by an indignant Zack only had Kunsel grinning wider.

"Now that you mention it; I was surprised to find he was an aggressive fighter instead of a calm and calculating one like our dear General here, and has anyone else noticed the similarities that his swordsmanship has to that of Zack and Angeal?" Genesis elegantly tapped a gloved finger on his chin as he recalled a number of past sparring sessions involving the blond.

"I think it's more likely that Zack copied Cloud's style than the other way around."

"Are you insulting me again, Kunsel?"

Another broad grin and a subsequent playful shove were completed before Zack finally shrugged, "I admit that his moves are awesome, but I've never really thought of copying them."

"Perhaps it will remain yet another one of the many mysteries we shall have to endure until such a time that he chooses to enlighten us." Genesis waved his hand elegantly in dismissive gesture but inward, everyone knew that his curiosity was just as bad as theirs.

Spike could not help but listen to their conversation, though it made little sense to him. So, feeling somewhat confused, he returned his gaze to the ongoing spar, paying particularly close attention to his uncle's moves and how they helped him in standing up against an opponent who was bigger and stronger, like Commander Hewley. He really was amazing, his uncle. One day, he promised himself, he would be just like his uncle and his idol, Commander Rhapsodos.

* * *

The spar continued for another fifteen minutes before they heard Angeal call it to a halt. The virtual location shimmered before evaporating to reveal, once again, the sparse training room. They cooled down a bit then went to join the spectators waiting for them on the sidelines. "Awesome moves there, Cloud!" said Zack, giving him two thumbs up and grinning broadly.

"That move, when you bodily threw Commander Hewley? Aww, you have to teach me how!", begged Kunsel.

Cloud only smiled his half-smile and said, "One day, ask me to." Then he turned to his nephew who was staring at him in open awe.

"Learn anything today?"

Spike nodded enthusiastically and smiled brightly. "Yes, Sir, thank you!"

Cloud shook his head and said, "We're not on duty, no need to call me Sir."

Actually it was rather awkward for him to be referred to in that way by his own self, but of course, he couldn't exactly say that to his supposed nephew, could he?

"As you may have noticed, Commander Hewley uses a fighting style similar to what most in SOLDIER use, but I, on the other hand, used a completely different style."

Spike nodded then carefully added, "Is it the Zangan style?"

Cloud became so silent they wondered if he would answer. Then the blond seemed to shake off the silence and replied evenly,

"Yes, it is some Zangan style combined with other styles. In any case SOLDIER fighting style might not be suitable for you because of your body frame; however it is still necessary to learn it in order to pass the classes. Once you've passed, I can teach you this style. It is more conducive to quick, small statures and the agile fighter, as it obviously relies more on speed and agility."

Young Cloud listened to his uncle with rapt attention,

"Strength is not necessarily the key to overcoming an opponent as is shown by this style. The various moves it utilizes involve a technique that uses the opponent's momentum against them to create a stronger force in your attack."

That piece information shed light on why Cloud seemed to skirt around, as if dancing, before he took a direct hit. He waited for an opening and using the momentum of his opponent, he could turn the tables on the fight.

Spike nodded eagerly, thankful for the knowledge and thrilled that he would continue being taught hand-to-hand combat and most likely many other things by his uncle who he was beginning to see was a very amazing man.

"Well, practice is over for today. You should have a shower and rest, but do your homework. Remember what we told you about hard work and success?"

Spike nodded then said goodbye to the SOLDIERs and excused himself. Zack ruffled his hair in parting and said he would be by to visit him later before he sent him off.

* * *

Once Cloud's nephew was out of hearing range, Sephiroth decided to ask, "That fighting style, was it Tifa?"

The tensing of his shoulder was answer enough to give confirmation to the suspicion held by both Sephiroth and Genesis.

"She has to be an amazing fighter then. Some of the hits you landed as a result of those moves, really hurt a lot," praised Angeal, who had surrendered his body to be fussed over by Genesis, hoping that his statement would defuse the bomb unknowingly dropped by Sephiroth. The man could really be completely clueless sometimes.

"Yes, she is." was the curt reply from Cloud.

"When did you learn it? Spike said that he had never been given the chance to train with Zangan in Nibelheim."

"It was when we were chasing after Sephiroth. She was unenhanced, but she was strong," Cloud answered like he was talking to himself.

Sobered up, Zack had only scratched at his hair guiltily, as he was elbowed by Kunsel, chiding him silently for his microscopic tact.

Lost in his memories, Cloud missed the silent communication occurring between the SOLDIERs. Genesis practically glowered at Sephiroth for his usual tactlessness and Sephiroth in return did in fact feel something that could quite possibly be regret. Angeal merely mulled over the new information supplied by the mysterious blond.

"Well, today's done! Is anyone else up for some lunch? Man, I'm so hungry I could eat a behemoth!" The ice broke smoothly once again, thanks to Zack.

Genesis snorted, "I neither, am of the mind or possess the stomach for dining on either behemoth or thunderbird."

The last word was spoken as he looked pointedly at Cloud, who retreated to the lockers with a slight flush on his cheeks, knowing he was being teased by the Commander with regards to how they first met in Wutai.

Kunsel grinned, his stomach growling on cue. "I'm up for almost anything, you know that, but I'll pass on the behemoth buffet and the side order of thunderbird; let's get pizza!"

"There are many fine restaurants above the Plate which serve neither behemoth or...," Sephiroth paused for a more dramatic effect, "thunderbird." He spoke with eerie, dramatic similarity to Genesis, deliberately mocking the man. Still, he was a bit perplexed that someone, apparently Cloud, would actually be of the mind to test the flavor of a thunderbird.

Zack and Kunsel laughed aloud, while Genesis snorted, commenting on how poor Sephiroth's imitation of him had been. Angeal only arched his eyebrow in amusement saying, "So pizza it is!"

Cloud rolled his eyes and wondered when the cold and aloof General Sephiroth had become fond striking the dramatic poses in parody of those that were the red commander's signature. He rummaged around his belongings, then tossed the item he had been looking for over to Angeal.

Angeal caught it easily, "Wha–?"

"For you..."

Angeal turned the weapon over in his hands inspecting the unusual design; it was most intriguing. Genesis too, seemed entranced by the unfamiliar weapon. Zack and bounded over and looked at it from over Angeal's shoulder , Sephiroth, stayed where he was, though his attention was also on the strange looking weapon.

"What is this?"

"Its predecessor was called the 'Dual Hound'; it's a powerful weapon for hand-to-hand fighters." Cloud walked over to the group and reclaimed the weapon in order to demonstrate; they all seemed captivated as he equipped it and retracted its handle making the knuckles spring out.

"It will increase the power as well as the strength of its wielder. It enables you to attack in a manner similar to an area effect, like Quake materia."

Cloud took out his mastered Bolt materia and placed it in the one of the slots. Once again he retracted the handle, releasing the knuckles, but this time it crackled and sparked with the power of Bolt as the materia glowed.

"You can add any of your elemental materias and use the effect in your attack by releasing the knuckles here. It's a feature similar to a sword with material slots."

Cloud removed the materia and unequipped the piece before giving the weapon back to Angeal.

"Wow! That is so awesome!" Zack's eyes were shining in delight.

"This is wonderful, but–" Angeal was hesitant to accept the gift, even if, he too was impressed by the short demonstration.

Cloud cut off Angeal's protest.

"You are the only one here who favors the strength of a fist. You already entrusted your Buster Sword to Zack and that makes you weaponless. I just thought this might suit you."

Angeal looked flustered by the generosity, but agreed to accept the gift. "Thank you for this. Are you sure it didn't cost you an arm and a leg?" He frowned in concern that a weapon such as this must have cost a significant amount of Gil.

Cloud simply dismissed him, "Its materia slot is empty and it is entirely up to you to fill them, and as it can house up to four linked materias, I think you'll find that this is where the significant amount of gil will come in."

"Where did you get it? I've never even seen a weapon like this before."

Cloud paused at Kunsel's question, noticing that Sephiroth had cocked his head to the side with obvious interest and was currently awaiting an answer.

"It's one of my own designs. I have an acquaintance in Kalm that assisted me in creating this model."

"So this is custom designed by you and then built by a weapons maker? That must've cost more than a month's salary!" Angeal had almost cringed as his mind had quickly conjured up just how much gil a customized weapon might cost one's purse in average.

"It's alright, the smith was very enthusiastic about the design and I actually did most of the work." Shrugging, Cloud finished by saying; "It didn't set me back for anything but materials as I was kind enough to let him have another similar prototype from which to replicate."

"You certainly have many unique skills." Genesis would bet his first edition copy of 'Loveless' that they hadn't yet scratched the surface with regards to the blonds' hidden skills.

"I did travel a lot." Cloud replied dismissively and continued, "The prototype I gave him is different than this one though. So this type is exclusively for you."

If Angeal hadn't been speechless before he most certainly was now.

"How is it that you came to develop this design? Not something easily imagined out of thin air I would wager. Creating and designing a weapon usually requires first-hand experience with an older model or better yet having the skill to wield it."

Sephiroth was intrigued as he remembered that First Tsurugi was also apparently Cloud's own design, which said a lot about his skill with a sword, but in hand-to-hand combat, especially in the style of which the blond favors, it was quite clear to Sephiroth that should Cloud ever employ the use of weaponry suited for hand to hand it would not be this Dual Hound. This weapon relied heavily on strength, an aspect that he knew the blond, while decidedly stronger then someone who is unenhanced, simply did not possess in the same abundance as Angeal.

Cloud was silent as he mulled over this answer. He sighed in resignation seeing that the damage was done and a curious Sephiroth would be an absolute headache, not to mention Genesis and Zack and probably Kunsel. It was just a matter of time before they wheedled the answer out of him.

"Its design is based on firsthand knowledge gained while fighting against an opponent that wielded it well."

"Is that–?" Angeal now looked worried.

"No, it wasn't you." He frowned as a thought wandered into his mind, what if Hojo, when cloning Sephiroth , combined his cells not only with Jenova's , but used cells from Hollander's experiments, those being Genesis and Angeal'. That would explain the brute strength possessed by one remnant, in that it came close to Angeal's. It would also nicely explain the alluring aura of the leanest remnant, as this one was similar to Genesis' and his artistic nature.

"He had some similarities with you. His strength was his greatest weapon."

"Well...to tell you the truth I am speechless. How can I ever repay you, Cloud?"

Cloud only shook his head as he gathered his gear then turned back towards Angeal, "You can spar with me again in a more remote location; that is once you've become more familiar with your weapon. I would like to assess its ability in the field." He paused briefly before adding, "You can also treat me to lunch today. Your home cooking is what I'd prefer, however no thunderbird." He said straight faced.

A peal of Angeal's merry laughter rang out loudly in the sparse training room. He smiled at the blond warmly then nodded, "At my apartment then."

"Can I come too, Angeal?"

"I don't know, pup, you sure do eat a lot." Angeal chuckled in his mirth.

"What? I do not."

As the friendly banter continued, Cloud thought of sneaking out, but he found his path was blocked by not just one formidable obstacle...but two; Genesis and Sephiroth stood with their arms across their sizable chests, right in front of the only door.

He raised an eyebrow to them.

"_There is no hate, only joy...For you are beloved by the goddess._"

Cloud recognized the verse from Loveless Act II as Genesis quoted them in that enchanting voice of his.

"Thank you for your gift, Cloud." Genesis said genuinely. A small but sincere smile graced the red commander's lips out of regard for his old friend's happiness.

"We owe you much, Cloud." Sephiroth stated with solemn respect.

Cloud planned to say nothing, but huffed out in exasperation, "It will come in handy if I end up going insane again."

Genesis snorted, "Surely we have moved past that absurd notion. A monster, as you inexplicably seem to consider yourself, thinks not of others, but only itself. You are only being foolish hanging on to such thoughts."

Cloud said nothing but ducked his head down, trying to hide as his face flushed pink and heat infused his cheeks.

"See you at the Angeal's then."

And with that he exited the room; the joyous laughter of his allies, no, not just his allies, his friends, trailing behind him as he walked down the halls of Shinra, an obvious spring now displayed in his step.

~End~

* * *

**Author's note:**

1. Continuation from Childhood Problems

2. It won't make any sense if you do not read Sinnatious' The Fifth Act, so go read it first. It was an awesome piece!

3. I fancy the idea of giving Loz weapon to Angeal since in the original fanfic, Sinnatious had briefly mention that Angeal do prefer his fist to sword. Then while was in the process of typing this piece...I wonder if Loz was supposed to be cloned as Angeal? Or whether the mad professor was intending to create a super SOLDIER by combining all their, Angeal's, Genesis' and Sephiroth's genes? Just my muse way of thinking perhaps.

4. Anyway, AT LAST! This ONE piece of fanfic is delivered. Yes, you heard it right. These three chapters are supposed to be a single piece that was originally intended to be only like 200 words! O.o! And for those who looks forward for the fighting scene, have to say sorry if I disappoint you guys. I'm just not good in describing fighting scene.

5. I'm gonna take a break from this long piece of what supposed to be one chapter...so perhaps there would be a delay on update for the next originally 2nd chapter. I was wondering what to write first.

6. The next chapters...I have to warn you, perhaps they will be more likely written in drabble style which mean they will be like 200 to 500 words each chapter. That's what I'm intending...just see whether my muse will go rampant again or not ;P

7. Sorry for the false alarm...it was caused by my stupid internet connection thus, the revised file that I did it online, was apparently not saved thus, the earlier uploaded chapter was hideous for the lack of formatting. That's why I took it down again and waited til my internet connection improved.

8. Thank you for all the reviews and more reviews are very much welcomed ^.^


	4. Sleeping Arrangement

**Title:** Sleeping Arrangement

**Characters:** Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Kunsel, Vincent Valentine, Aeris Gainsborough  
**  
Warning:** AU, based on Sinnatious' The Fifth Act  
**  
Pairings:** Slight pairings indicated  
**  
Rating:** PG-13  
**  
Word Count:** 8,030 according to Word 2007 (Why I keep writing it longer and longer? -.-; )  
**  
Beta-reader:** Wintersheart1766 (Give her lots of hug and love because of her wonderful beta works)  
**  
Author's Note:** Yes, I've got the permission from Sinnatious to write a fanfic out of her/his fanfic. Yes, this is not a very-much sequel. Yes, I am shamelessly pimp my own ideas and twist around the story. So yes, this might resemble the original, except it has more spices ;P  
**  
Disclaimer:** All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States or any other countries, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from.

* * *

Sleeping Arrangement

Cloud's annoying habit of disappearing for an entire day, without one word to anyone, was causing normally calm nerves to fray. They should be used to it by now, but only managed to remain distracted until around noon, nervous by noon and panic by evening. Even though they were well aware of his need for privacy and that he was a big boy who could take care himself, somehow they would all find themselves together relying on Sephiroth's cellular "lo-jack" to locate his position. If he was somewhere safe within the Shinra building they would leave him to his peace. This constant surveillance had started just after they transported back to Midgar from Nibelheim those many months ago. It was only recently eased up on, after the blond came back from his little trip to Modeoheim looking a lot more stable and they all had agreed not to monitor him as closely/obsessively as before.

Unfortunately, they came to regret that decision sooner rather than later when they could not seem to locate the blond in any of his usual brooding places for the entire day. Of course Sephiroth had managed to easily locate the blond who was apparently on the roof top of the ShinRa building. It was a welcoming sight at first, but the blonde's precarious position at the edge of the building stopped them in their tracks as they each felt hearts hammer in the chests with fear.

It was the night of the new moon; when sky is pitch dark, barren of the moon's light with only a sparse smattering of glittering tiny stars alight. They had found him, a figure as dark as the night, standing stiffly at the very edge of Shinra's roof top; blond spiky hair being blown about by the wind and glowing in the reflections of thousands of neon lights that surrounded the plate fifty floors below. The wind was strong this high up and it blew Cloud's loose garments as if they were the flag and he was the pole.

It was an alarming situation and Zack immediately started in Cloud's direction in an effort to reach the enigmatic blond, but Genesis was too quick for him and clamped a strong hand on his shoulder in restraint. Sephiroth's blood ran cold at the sight of his friend so close to the edge and almost ran at the man himself, but quickly regained his slipping control. Angeal was wary; keeping his twitching hands clenched at his sides and not moving a muscle. Kunsel was currently looking around the roof, considering another route to approach the blond.

It was a tense and delicate situation; one wrong action might very well cost the blond his life. To think they had all believed the blond was not suicidal anymore just last week.

* * *

Cloud had heard their arrivals, but he chose to simply ignore them. He did not make any moves, not even a single twitch. He just kept his gaze on the bustling crowd on the Plate below, completely ignoring their presence.

Cloud was far too lost inside his own thoughts to care that he now had company and he was not in the mood for socializing. He was not about to let them know about the dark thoughts and nightmares which had been haunting his sleepless nights these past few weeks. It was bad enough that they knew he was suicidal. For them to learn of his nightmares would only serve to complicate the matter, as it would entail a few more little truths, which he hoped to keep to himself, slipping out into the, already too deep, pool of common knowledge. He sighed and wondered, somewhat ridiculously, when his life had become so complicated.

* * *

The SOLDIERs held their breath, still unsure how to approach the man without startling him or driving him even closer to the edge where he might slip and fall. In the end it was another blur of red that surprised them all and approached the lone figure in front of them.

"Wha–?" Zack blinked in confusion.

"Vincent!" Genesis hissed, as he recognized the red tattered cape. The reckless action enraged the red commander; the last thing they needed was exactly that sort of stunt. Such sudden movement could have startled the blond and caused him to slip and plummet some fifty floors to the plate below.

* * *

Vincent dropped close to the blond and walked to his side; his cape blowing as wildly as his long raven hair in the strong winds.

"Cloud," He offered his greeting, but made no move to pull the blond from the edge.

Cloud did not even glance at the ex-Turk or acknowledge his greeting in any way. He knew that the raven haired man would not be offended by his action. The older man had somehow understood his burden and he was supportive despite his silence. After all, they more or less lived and now carried the same nightmare.

* * *

Seeing that the sudden appearance of the ex-Turk did not cause the blond to topple down from the edge, they decided to cautiously approach the duo, who were now standing silently side by side.

Sephiroth was his usual self and though Genesis held his tongue, his face bore an obvious frown that clearly said he was feeling put out by this lack of conversation, much as the constant tapping of his finger on his elbow did. Zack tried not to fidget like he normally did when he was nervous; he was really too far above the ground not to be an accident just waiting to happen, whilst Kunsel had fared better on keeping silent, even if his occasional wary glances to the plate below them spoke a lot of his uneasiness. Angeal seemed to be as adept as Vincent with regards of perching himself like a gargoyle statue high upon a tower and if it weren't for the slight frown marring his otherwise calm face, he could easily be mistaken for one of the statues.

Then after what seemed like eternity plus a day in complete windblown silence, Cloud suddenly spoke.

"Sometimes it gets too quiet."

This was obviously meant to be some form of explanation, but they knew if they just held their tongues no matter how it grated on Zack's nerves or fueled Genesis' temper, the brooding SOLDIER would likely share more of what he was thinking. Sephiroth, a quiet man himself, still could not help but frown during the silence; it being devoid of the answers he sought. It seemed that only Angeal and Vincent were able to ride out the silence like they were on par with the blond.

Just as they were hoping, but none too soon after the first sentence he had uttered, Cloud spoke again, "Back there, I had them and they kept me grounded on sleepless nights like this."

And they were silent again.

Vincent turned to look at Cloud closely then he asked in his smooth deep baritone, "Who were you living with?"

After a long silence, a whisper as soft and thin as a hair's breadth amidst the bellowing wind around them.

"Tifa, Marlene and Denzel." There was a pause of hesitation before Cloud continued, "There were always glasses to wash, dishes to dry or I would just sit and listens to them sleep." He was looking ahead not saw not to what lay before him. Too far in his mind to actually enjoy the view.

In short, the blond was missing his past friends despite the present company he had now. The loneliness reared its ugly head whenever it was dark. His PHS never rang at ungodly hours anymore and it seemed funny to Cloud, that he was missing them now despite all of his complaints in the past and wishes to be left alone. He missed not having them by his side anymore.

* * *

The very next day after his quiet confession, Cloud found his usual room was devoid of his things. Instead taped to the door there was another keycard with a note attached.

The elegant cursive handwriting was undeniably Genesis', it said:

_"You are moving in with us to our new humble abode. Genesis."_

It was with much less of a struggle than they had been expecting that Cloud moved in to the much bigger, three bedroom apartment with Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth. Both he and Sephiroth had their own private rooms while Genesis and Angeal shared the bigger room. The apartment was nice and quite spacious, complete with a wide balcony which was a perfect spot for him to brood.

Zack and Kunsel were their next door neighbors, sharing smaller three bedroom apartment, a spare room just in case someone stopped by to visit overnight who usually turned out to be either Cloud's young nephew or their other SOLDIER friend, Luxiere.

Since the day he moved in Cloud never complained about a lack of sound anymore.

In the early days of their friendship, Angeal and Genesis had worked incessantly at ridding Sephiroth of what they considered a very bad habit, which was his preference to sleep only when his body had reached its limit to stay awake. Recalling this, he found it endlessly entertaining when he noticed the familiar actions being displayed by the blonde and was amused at how the blond resisted the legendary nagging of his two old friends.

Genesis had mostly 'tsked' in a disapproving manner and then managed to drag the blond, who would fight all teeth and nails in his usual silent brooding way, to his bed. All resistance came to an abrupt halt when Genesis threatened to sing him to sleep, should he refuse to or be unable to sleep on his own.

Unbelievably, Angeal was actually worse than his childhood friend in this matter. His constant worrying combined with his perfectionism meant he was only satisfied when he had tucked the blond into bed personally.

By the end of the first week in their noble quest of seeing the blond to obtain his much needed and well deserved rest, they also found that getting Cloud to _go_ to sleep was nowhere near as hard as getting him to _stay_ asleep. He was already a light sleeper, not to mention accustomed to short stolen periods of rest, thus it became almost routine for one of them to stumble upon a very awake blond in the middle of night when he had been thought to be sleeping soundly.

* * *

Sephiroth had been the first to discover the fugitive of sleep as he had stumbled out from his room in the middle of night, due to his own sleeping issues and was seeking something to ease his ailment. He had quietly come down the dark hall and into the main room on his way to the kitchen for something to drink, when his SOLDIER enhanced vision spotted the little blonde insomniac sitting quietly in the dark dining room.

Cloud was gazing outside the balcony glass door clad only in his sleeping attire, a loose shirt and his boxers. He had his legs folded before his slim chest and his arms encircling the folded limbs, deeply immersed in thought.

It was obvious that he had not noticed Sephiroth's presence or just simply ignored him. Curious and surprised, Sephiroth decided to call the blond out of his stupor.

"Cloud?"

Upon hearing his name being whispered, almost intimately, in the husky, somewhat sleepy voice of his rival, Cloud felt shivers as they ran down along his spine. He turned to look at the silver haired General who only wore comfortable pajamas pants and left his smooth, well muscled chest bare.

"Did I wake you?"

The soft hesitant voice carried out across the room, so unlike the fierce warrior persona Sephiroth faced so often in battle or sparring sessions.

Trying to stifle his yawn, Sephiroth glanced back toward the blond, noticing the bare thighs of his enigmatic rival. His mind was unexpectedly pleased by the image and his first instinct had been urging him to caress the inviting smooth skin. Practicing his legendary restraint, he quickly shook the stray thought from his head. Frowning slightly, he wondered if his sleeplessness was somehow causing his brain to malfunction.

"No," he replied after a long moment of silence, for which the blond remained unaware of his inner mind's crisis.

A comfortable silence passed between them and Sephiroth moved silently to the kitchen, he returned with two glasses which he set down on the dining room table; one in front of the blond and one on the seat opposite him, no doubt for himself. Then he walked to the refrigerator and opened it, causing the light cast a soft orange hue on his chiseled face and the silver hair that cascaded down over his shoulder when the General bent forward. He took out a carton of milk then closed it the door. It was dark once again, saved the illumination from the soft moonlight and the weak fluorescent lights stationed upon the whole ShinRa building, which shone through the balcony door when it was dark.

"Can't sleep?"

Sephiroth poured the milk into the glasses then set it aside.

Cloud muttered his thanks, a bit surprised by the supposedly antisocial man's hospitality toward him. He reached for his glass, cradling it in both hands as he contemplated his answer. Sephiroth pulled out his chair and settled into it prepared to wait for the reply.

"Drink it. Zack says it helps."

Cloud shrugged; he felt the heat of his blush as it crept onto his cheeks, strangely touched by the rare kindness being offered to him by the usually cold and distant general. He was eternally thankful that it was dark enough that the man opposite him would most likely not notice his discomfort or his traitorous blush.

"I'm not a puppy."

An amused snort was the only answer from the General, but Cloud did not comment any further as both men sat quietly, enjoying the strange camaraderie they shared, each accompanied by a glass of milk.

* * *

It was inevitable that Genesis would find out about Cloud's late night training sessions.

On nights when sleep eluded him, Cloud would sneak out of the apartment and steal away seeking the lull of familiar sword exercises as he fought monsters greatly outnumbering him. It would easily distract his mind away from his dark thoughts and afforded him no time to dwell on his past, as he was moving constantly to engage and slay the relentless flow of monsters coming at him. True, his muscles screamed in protest, but better physical exhaustion than mental exhaustion.

But what the blond did not calculate into his plans was Genesis' little quirk for reading his beloved literature alone in the dead of night. So one night, after he had completely exhausted himself in another rough round of monster hacking, what he did not expect was one auburn haired commander dressed only in his silk maroon robe, lounging on his beloved sofa with a thick book perched upon his lap.

To say Cloud was surprised, when their different shade blue eyes met, was understatement since the blond SOLDIER had only few second to remind himself not to let his jaw dropped somewhere to the carpeted ground.

Similarly, the auburn man had his eyes gone wide, as wide as, saucers since he did not plan to be interrupted by the blond warrior who was supposed to be sleeping in his room.

"Cloud?"

His voice seemed painfully loud and clear in the middle of the quiet room, dimly lit by the standing reading lamp at the corner of the sofa. Cloud felt himself cringe and prayed that it was merely his sensitive ears that made the voice sound as loud as he had imagined it. The last thing he actually needed was for the whole household to be awakened; having the loud dramatic commander learnt of his night time exercise was bad enough.

"Where, in the name of the goddess, have you been?"

Clearly Genesis was not amused to see his friend had snuck out. He eyed the blond up and down and judging from the still sweaty breathless figure, First Tsurugi sheathed on his back, he had easily guessed that the blond had just finished some sort of rigorous training, no doubt sweeping out another den of monsters from one of the simulation programs.

Cloud said nothing as he averted his eyes; he felt guilty, like a child who got caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar as the now familiar blush adorably stained his cheeks, though if asked, he would claim it was caused by his previous physical exertion.

Genesis put down his book and stood up, gesturing the blond toward the bathroom to have a quick wash, clearly he had not used the shower facility installed within the training room.

"Go on, wash yourself. You stink of sweat."

Cloud had become accustomed to Genesis' habit of using blunt words to conceal his true feelings, so he merely nodded before walking quietly to his room to put away his blade and all his battle gear and retrieve a towel. Passing by the still obviously upset Genesis, he awkwardly entered the bathroom and ignored the red commanders lingering gaze.

Once he heard the soft click of the lock followed then by the gentle sound of a running shower, Genesis sighed and walked silently in his slipper clad feet toward the kitchen.

After the short refreshing shower, Cloud emerged from the bathroom clad only in the fluffy light blue bathrobe, courtesy of Genesis', only to be once again surprised by the auburn haired man that stood before him, obviously waiting for him to finish his shower.

"I have made some tea."

Cloud did not need another round of interrogation, which made him wary of the invitation, especially after he had purposely tired himself out in hopes of garnering some dreamless sleep. However, the smell of fragrant jasmine mixed with a dip of honey had lured his olfactory senses and it was simply too tempting for him to decline. Not to mention it was best to play by the red haired male's rule if one wished to avoid another ruckus.

Cloud sat down gingerly in the spot where Genesis had made room where the tray containing two steaming cups of tea was set before him on the small table at the front of the sofa. Thankfully, the auburn haired man remained strangely silent, not saying anything, but simply gesturing for him to help himself to the tea.

After seeing the wary blond cautiously pick up his cup of tea, made of fine china with falling leaves in its detail, Genesis relaxed into his seat. He reclined on his beloved sofa, almost as if he was a cat curling comfortably, and resumed reading his book. He occasionally sipped on his own tea, sweetened by two teaspoons of honey and seemed oblivious to the blond sitting just beside him.

They spent the next moments in comfortable, albeit on Cloud's part a bit perplexing, silence save the occasional slight rustle of rich quality paper. Both of them content with their surroundings and neither feeling the need for words.

Cloud, having nothing to occupy his thoughts at the time by chance noticed certain details of the SOLDIER lounging before him. The golden hue that shone from the lamp seemed to emphasize the artistic features of Genesis; the beautiful face, the elegant column of his neck, the pale skin in contrast to the dark maroon silk of his robe which teasingly bore a bit of collarbone on his right side. When he suddenly realized he was indeed checking out his comrade he quickly berated himself for the slip of control and averted his eyes from the sight before him to concentrate on his tea once again.

Unbeknownst to him, the pale icy blue eyes had in turn appreciated the sight displayed before him from the rim of his book; the still wet hair where droplets of water clung upon the tips of the slightly flattened bangs, the smooth skin bared by the collar of the loosely tied robe down to the sternum, the angular face lit by the dim light as well as the full pinkish lips pursed forward to blow the steam away. All in all it was quite hard for Genesis not to lean forward and capture those tempting lips with his own.

After the tea was finished, Cloud was ushered to bed by Genesis who tucked him in snuggly, smiling impishly all the while. The blond however had frowned indignantly, but said nothing to the irritating man. Then, giving into his temptation just a bit, Genesis leaned down and brushed his lips gently against the blonds' frown.

The small act of affection had come so suddenly that Cloud's mind went blank for a while which was enough time for the red haired Commander to have retreated back to the door. Genesis paused for a second before exiting the room, delighted to see the blond still stupefied by his actions, "Good night, Cloud."

Then the door was closed and after a while Cloud pulled the blanket over his head, hiding the furious blush of his cheeks as he attempted to calm his thumping heart. Strangely, he rather enjoyed the slightly heady way in which he was feeling.

* * *

Sometimes, Cloud was the one who would be awakened from his sleep at night; this time by a soft tapping and dim lights coming through the gap beneath his bedroom door. Curious, he walked out from his room to investigate, but as soon as he opened his door, the soft tapping abruptly ceased. What he saw in the dim light was the burly Commander sitting at the dining table with fingers perched and motionless above the keyboard of his laptop.

Angeal had heard the soft swish of door being opened and was surprised to see the blond warrior was awake in this hour.

"Cloud? Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Angeal was dressed in a white wife beater showing all his well developed muscles and a pair loose cotton pants, while perched upon his nose was a pair of tiny reading glasses. It was one of the side effects of the degradation, while there was nothing too damaging his eye sight had been challenging him when reading small print. Thus not wanting his eyesight to worsen, he had taken care to put on his prescribed reading glasses whenever he worked on his reports.

Cloud walked silently to the dining table which was illuminated by the dining room's light set to its dimmest. He shrugged as he approached the older man who had resumed his typing.

"I can't sleep anyway; work?"

Angeal chuckled, "Just some field reports from the newest mission and some other reports that are already late."

Cloud simply nodded in understanding.

Feeling a bit guilty about waking up the blond, Angeal stopped his typing and saved his work. He stood up, removing his glasses, and walked toward the kitchen counter.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?"

Assuming this was an invitation to join him, Cloud set himself down in the chair opposite Angeal's.

"Yes, that would be nice."

Angeal was adept at cooking and he also made the best hot chocolate. His big hands were sure when they measured the chocolate powder, dumping it into a saucepan with some milk. The stirring was light and almost soundless while he dropped a few of chocolate bits into it, letting them melt as he heated the mixture to just the right temperature. Then with practiced ease, he grabbed a bottle of rum and measured a full shot of it into a bright blue mug with yellow sunshine details that was Cloud's present from Zack when he moved in. He poured the warm cocoa on top and giving it a final stir.

In the dim light, Cloud rested his gaze on the black haired SOLDIER's shoulders; they were broad, even broader than Sephiroth's. He was somewhat transfixed by watching the ripples of the muscles contracting and relaxing in a hypnotizing rhythm. Realizing belatedly that had been staring for far too long, he moved his eyes elsewhere and accidently found his gaze resting on the, surprisingly low riding, cotton pants, worn on slender hips, baring a strip of tanned skin and thinking how nicely the pants clung and shaped his backside.

Overall, the raven haired SOLDIER was pleasing to the eyes, while rugged in appearance he had assets that made him as stunning as any of the others even in this simple attire. Mentally chiding himself for checking out his fellow comrades, Cloud stopped staring, even if a part of his mind was busy wondering how those muscles would feel beneath his palms.

Angeal turned around with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand, he walked around the table and stood behind the chair in which Cloud was sitting. He set the mug before the blond, stretching out his arms beside him.

"Here you go."

Cloud was surprised by the deep calm voice which came from behind and above him and looked up reflexively.

Angeal, who was not expecting the blond to look up, went to straighten himself and slowly drew his arms back to settle on the edge of the table; keeping his cool, save for the barely audible gasp when his breath caught in his throat the instant his deep blue eyes got caught up in the huge, luminous sky blue eyes belonging to one Cloud Strife.

From that point of view, Angeal could see the angular almost feminine face up close, the pale tempting column of his neck all the way down to a plane of smooth pale skin of the chest and lower abdomen where the waistband of his boxers hid away the rest. Then there was the sight of the bare unblemished thighs which continued down to slim legs. Shortly, his brain supplied to him that this enigmatic blond before him was beautiful, as uniquely beautiful as Genesis and even Sephiroth.

Cloud, meanwhile, looked up to a broad strong shoulder, the muscular arm outstretching as if wishing to embrace him from behind then up to the strong square jaw shadowed by slight stubble which he often saw set in determination. The raven haired SOLDIER had the sort of features that screamed calm strength embroiled with honor and pride.

Angeal cleared his throat softly then straightened up; the strange spell was broken as was their gaze.

Cloud had averted his head and stared of to the side, trying to hide the inevitable blush that was creeping onto his cheeks. He reached out for the mug and pulled it toward him.

"Thank you."

The words came soft and steady, but Angeal could easily hear the gratitude as well as a hint of shyness in them.

"You're welcome, but you should go back to bed once you drink it. Your sleep hours are still our primary concern."

A noncommittal grunt was the only answer he got from the blond.

He smiled and moved back to his seat leaving Cloud to muse over his hot chocolate whilst he resumed his work, unbothered by the steady gaze coming from the blond.

* * *

As if the nights were not strange enough, there came a night when Cloud encountered the silent ex-Turk who had settled on the railing of the balcony outside the shared apartment. When Cloud made note of his presence he unlocked the sliding glass door and approached the raven haired man.

"Vincent?"

The ex-Turk only tilted his head in greeting before jumping down of his perch. The graceful manner in which he always moved, coupled with the way his red tattered cape softly billowed in the night breeze made it almost seem as if he were floating in mid air.

"What are you doing here?"

The quiet man folded his arms in front of his chest drumming his fingers, both human and claw, lightly on the inside of his elbows.

"Visiting," Vincent said deadpanned as if it was normal when one visited in the middle of the night and through the balcony, nonetheless.

Cloud had only blinked on the short reply before the much older man continued in his calm voice, "Demons tend to appear when it is dark."

It dawned to Cloud that the long haired man was merely concerned of his well being, as unorthodox as his way seemed. That little detail had made the blond chuckled in response, humbled by the notion that the antisocial vampire had decided to come out from wherever he lurked, just to visit him.

Cloud smiled at him and turned to walk toward the kitchen, leaving the glass door ajar as a silent invitation to his illustrious guest to come inside.

Vincent soundlessly followed the blond into the dining room and then watched as the blond made his way into kitchenette area; no doubt Cloud intended to do his duty as a hospitable host. He, in turn, ventured further into the shadowy apartment, easily maneuvering himself to the living room. It was dark but he did not mind the darkness, not when he was the welcomed guest of a kindred spirit.

Soon the fragrant scent of chrysanthemums drifted out to tease his olfactory sense and it was something of a surprise seeing that he had never told anyone about his preference of scented tea.

Cloud returned with a tray in his hands and upon the tray balanced two cups, a pot of tea and a plate of snacks, which were ginger biscuits judging from the scent; the ginger mixed pleasantly with the other scents of chrysanthemums and fresh citrus. He put the tray down with a soft clink then moved to switch on one of the standing lamps, setting its light to the dimmest.

"Does my future self tell you all this?" inquired Vincent, as he gestured towards the tray.

Cloud shrugged, faintly remembering the many escapades between the resident vampire and the grumpy pilot. He remembered the blond pilot had only grinned at him when he had stumbled on them and said that it was the vampire's snack time. That was just after the DEEPGROUND fiasco and he and the raven haired man were aboard "The Shera". Vincent at that time had only sighed in exasperation at the 'vampire' reference, but seemed content with the companion as well as the food.

"No. It was Cid."

Intrigued by the unfamiliar name, Vincent tilted his head, "Cid?"

Cloud was munching away on ginger cookies, but politely answered after he swallowed the bits, "Cid Highwind, he was our pilot. You both were quite close."

Vincent mused over this tidbit of information, no doubt curious about the man who was said to be close enough to him or at least to his future self, to gain the trust required to become privy to such small personal preferences. He absently thought about how this sort of disclosure would have come to be as he picked up a slice of fresh citrus daintily with his clawed hand and then dipped it into his cup.

Cloud resumed his munching, thinking, somewhat absently himself that he ought to see about introducing his friend to the brash pilot or maybe even arrange a 'chance' meeting of the Head of Urban Development Department. He had always wondered if the Head of WRO had had 'feelings' toward the quiet gunner. Cloud smirked remembering how the man always acted like nervous teenager before his first date whenever the ex-Turk was in close proximity to him.

While there was no guarantee that they would take the bait and sally forth to become 'best buddies', Cloud figured there wasn't anything to lose and perhaps the gunner would not be so alone anymore. Seemed like a proverbial 'win-win' situation to him.

* * *

Now others might not believe this, but believe it or not, the most sedate sleepless nights were the ones that Cloud spent over at Zack and Kunsel's place; usually weekends.

Most of the time the anti-slumber party consisted of Cloud and the two noisy hyperactive firsts along with his young nephew. The dark spiky haired SOLDIER had officially dubbed those nights as movie marathon nights, for which both he and Kunsel would rent a stack of DVDs. The young cadet would be in charge of making popcorn, the traditional obligatory food for movie night as Zack insisted. The blond himself would be the one who to prepare the vast array of mixed beverages for their eager consumption. He sometimes even concocted mild alcoholic ones for his young nephew, as the cadet had protested that he was tired being treated like a toddler.

Young Cloud had vehemently reminded everyone that he was from Nibelheim where everyone had drunk their first alcohol since they could hold their own glasses. A disclosure that had made both Zack and Kunsel to turn their heads to his uncle for confirmation. A fact that sadly, was true as the older counterpart had only nodded sourly accompanied by his long suffering sigh.

The movies they watched were many and varied, ranging from super cool action movies or silly comedic movies, courtesy of Zack, to horror and thriller movies, as they were Kunsel's all time favorites. The young Cloud, who had just learned what DVD was when he came to Midgar and had never actually seen that many movies at all, decided he liked detective movies and fantasy medieval series the best after a few experiments with all the other movie genres. The trio had tried to guess what the enigmatic blond liked, but really, they never would have guessed that Cloud's favorites were seemingly childish cartoons, be it the old black and white or the new colorful ones.

Sometimes there would be another SOLDIERs tagging along for movie night. More often than not it would be a Soldier by the name Luxiere, a close comrade of both Zack and Kunsel. The SOLDIER Second was familiar enough with Cloud so he did not object his presence, even with his unhealthy fondness toward Wutaian cartoons; he was almost at the same level of obsessed as Genesis was with LOVELESS.

Genesis was never likely to join this little gathering as he once complained that he could not stand the ruckus. The only time he had joined them, they all had to endure seemingly endless versions of LOVELESS and without warning a very graphic bisexual sex porn which had made the poor young cadet as red as lobster and almost choke to death on his popcorn. That had caused the red commander to be banned almost forever from joining another movie night.

Angeal's choice of movies was somewhat better than his old friend since his choices usually were nice, but boring documentaries. He reasoned that if one was going to while away the night stuck in front of the "box" as he called it, that they should at least watch something educational. Nobody even tried to explain how that defeated the whole purpose of having these kinds of movie nights, which was to relax, have fun and not study. Then Angeal would surprise them all by sneaking in a few of the newest and coolest action movies. So they all held their peace to let Angeal rent the movies some of the times.

Sephiroth's taste when it came to movies was surprising, unlike the more predictable choices of his other two friends. The General unexpectedly liked 'chick flicks' and Wutaian dramas which are kind of like soap operas, but no one was stupid enough to dare laugh in front of the General, especially when he had straight out dared them to with a weird tiny smile on his face. Just an arch of his eyebrow was enough to have them silence or at least camouflage their laughter.

Cloud had come to treasure this time and although he was still far from being the light hearted "cut up" that Zack and Kunsel were. Any time spent in the easy company of his best friend and former mentor, always had a way of lightening his mood. Having Kunsel and his young nephew also helped ease his tension.

Sometimes when they were all, but he, fast asleep, Cloud would still be there, relaxed on the sofa, as content as he could be just to listen to the sounds of their sleep. He relished the sound of regular heart beats as well as the light snore coming from Zack who was currently sprawling all over his lap. The heat on his side where his young self had drowsily leaned was reassuring, his sleeping face was so peaceful and innocent that he couldn't help but think perhaps his efforts had indeed helped improve the future for the cadet. Kunsel who had draped himself onto Zack and was definitely in an unconscious and hilarious struggle to remain on the couch which was being hogged by his large immovable friend, had also been a kind reminder of happy times.

There his dark thoughts and nightmares were chased away, keeping them at the back of his mind at least for a few hours and Cloud was glad to have this reprieve, however short it was.

* * *

Sometimes, when Cloud had no missions to attend to, he would sneak out during the day and take the train to sector five slums in order to visit Aeris at her church. On occasion Zack would accompany him on the excursion, but most of the time he took care not to interrupt the two young love birds during their time alone.

Cloud did not mind being alone in the church, after all there were times when he had spent many a day during his darker times alone in the church; his body struggling with Geostigma. He was used to the creaks and moans of the former place of worship and that carried over to this time line as well. This dilapidated building had always been his sanctuary whenever he wished to take a break from his life. Something about the fragrant smell of the flowers combined with the soft sunlight and fresh spring water had always soothed his weary soul. That was why sleep came easily when he rested here.

It was then inevitable that one day Aeris found the blond warrior; sleeping peacefully in the front row of pews.

Cloud had only meant to close his eyes for a brief rest but his body and his mind had entirely different ideas and his body won out as both his mind and body succumbed to much needed sleep. Even in his time of slumber, he felt a presence looming above him and his instincts tingled, causing him to wake.

Cloud had sensed nothing wrong even with his eyes closed. The church was pleasantly quiet save the muffled footsteps and occasional hum of conversation outside of the church. He did not feel any urge to fight off imminent danger either. In fact he could practically feel the warm smile and soothing presence that always accompanied a particular flower girl. He knew without doubt that she was, at that very moment, smiling mischievously at him.

Cloud cracked one of his eyes open and there she was. A teenage girl with long wavy chestnut hair tied up in a pink ribbon. Her green eyes shone with joy as well as mirth.

"Hello, Mr. Cloud."

Cloud grimaced inwardly at the name she insisted on calling him, but no one could win an argument with her, so he just let her call him what she liked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Aeris only laughed and shook her head as she smiled sweetly at the blond.

"Don't worry too much, sleepyhead. The church is open for every one, including one very tired SOLDIER."

Cloud offered his somewhat sheepish smile in return as he got up into a sitting position, "I sleep easily here."

"Must be you've been neglecting your sleep again, Mr. Cloud."

"Did Zack tell you that?"

"Silly," said Aeris as she chuckled. "Your eyes are like a panda already, Mr. Cloud. Or should I call you Mr. Panda from now on?"

Cloud could only shake his head as he answered, "I am catching up my sleep here."

"You seem to like this church so much, Mr. Cloud."

Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he answered, "Yes, I like the church. It reminds me of my home. "

Aeris hummed in acknowledgement and nodded.

Cloud continued, "The scent of flowers mixed with the soil and spring water is both relaxing and refreshing. It helps me to relax if I need rest and refreshes me when I need energy."

"This is like home to me too, a place where I can speak to the Planet freely."

Cloud only nodded in his reply, not knowing what to say, but was grateful that the Cetra had confided this fact to him in an ease.

"I know!"

The little sudden exclamation from Aeris had almost made Cloud jumped from his seat and before he could ask her, she had already sprinted to the corner of the church where her flower carts were stored.

Aeris looked for a small pot which her boyfriend had graciously made some for small flower containers. Once she found it, she immediately walked toward her garden. She kneeled on the soil, unbothered by the blond as he came to kneel beside her. She looked at the flowers and decided to dig out one of the younger plants whose petals had yet to open in full bloom.

Soon the flower with a soft pinkish hue was transferred into the small pot including its root and some soil. Aeris patted the soil; after she deemed it ready she turned and practically shoved the potted plant into the hands of the blond beside her. She inwardly thought that the pinkish flower complimented the blue eyes of the blond quite well.

"For you."

At first Cloud was a little bit confused; all he could see was the little plant in the pot and Aeris' blinding sweet smile. So his hands accepted the gift automatically while his brain worked to catch up.

Cloud looked flabbergasted. "For me?" he asked somewhat stupidly.

Aeris nodded cheerfully and said, "You miss your home so with this flower, you can have your home anywhere you are."

Cloud was speechless, gratitude choked in his throat, making it hard to come up with any intelligible reply.

Aeris did not seem to mind and only smiled knowingly, "Take it home, Mr. Cloud and may it help you to have your sleep."

Cloud could only nodded before finally willing his throat and tongue to work properly again.

"Thank you," he said in a voice both timid and gruff which had brought another beaming smile on her lips, nonetheless.

* * *

"I thought my ears would start bleeding if I had to hear even one more kya ha ha or gya ha ha out of those pompous, uncouth cretins."

Genesis wrinkled his face in distaste as he remembered how awful it had been having had to sit through an already tedious luncheon with Heidegger on one side and Scarlett on the other. His poor ears would never be the same again after such a vicious combination; it was a miracle he wasn't struck deaf as mole.

Sephiroth had also winced remembering the awful voices reverberating in the hall during the luncheon to commemorate the first mako reactor built in Midgar. He too, had been one of the unlucky souls who sat in close proximity to the duo, his seat being directly across from the executive members of ShinRa. A given since he was the General, which was actually a curse in more ways than one and he spent much of the three hour ordeal cursing his SOLDIER's enhanced senses.

"I cannot even begin to fathom why the event organizer felt the need to have microphones for them."

Angeal sighed, "Well at least we can enjoy a nice quiet evening. No doubt they are still there torturing those other poor souls."

"Thank the Goddess for that little mercy!"

"I just hope the meeting is not rescheduled to this weekend. I am being permitted to choose the films for movie night this Saturday."

"Getting addicted to those chick flicks, General?" drawled Genesis, teasing his old friend, who was clearly upset at the possible schedule disruption, as it would interfere with his watching his favorite movies.

Sephiroth snorted, "They are definitely better than watching your LOVELESS recitals over and over again."

Genesis waved his hand and remarked lazily, "It's obvious that you haven't an artistic bone in your body."

Angeal enjoyed his mirth in silence even if he was rolling his eyes.

"LOVELESS is truly the pinnacle of this era, a piece of art that has defined us, our minds and our very nature beyond any other words ever written. Is it really any wonder that people still seek out the wisdom it holds, be it in the past, present or even in the future; as our Cloud has perfectly demonstrated time and time again. I believe he has a nice grasp upon this poem." Genesis had carried on with his little speech in the flaunting way that was his signature, adding elegant hand gestures and a graceful bow here and there as if he was performing on stage.

Sephiroth shook his head and retorted sarcastically, "That is because our _dear_ Cloud has not had to hear it repeated over and over like broken record, Genesis."

Genesis had hissed indignantly and was ready to launch his own argument, before Angeal butted in.

"Sephiroth, you know better than to insult his precious LOVELESS. And Genesis, don't mock Sephiroth about his movie choices ok? Behave, children." With that Angeal walked on ahead eager to get to their already near shared apartment.

Genesis struggled against his pride to hold his tongue and though he was still seething he settled on a loud displeased "hmph" which afforded him all the dignity of a petulant child as he pouted in anger.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, had kept his silence, but one could easily see the pouty looking frown upon his lips. Both resembled children who had just been scolded by their teacher.

'This is getting really old already' Angeal thought to himself; sighing inwardly upon seeing his two friends nearing the apartment with the same petulant faces, he stopped and fished around in his pockets for his keys.

Genesis raised his eyebrow seeing his childhood friend had stopped to search for his keys.

"Don't you think Cloud will be there to open the door for us?"

"I don't know, I don't really hear him. He could be outside with Zack and Kunsel or spending some time in the cafeteria with his nephew."

"He is inside," Sephiroth stated with certain conviction.

Genesis huffed, blew is bangs of his face and rolled his eyes and Sephiroth, who though completely puzzled by the reaction, decided to let it go.

Then Angeal inserted the key and turned the lock gently. Once the door was opened, a sight greeted them had almost made them speechless.

There was Cloud, clothed in his usual loose T-shirt and grey boxer, curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. His usually solemn, serious face had relaxed considerably and its expression was just peaceful. The angelic face he wore as he slept made him look younger, beautiful and delicate, despite the fact that he was an experienced warrior. One of his arms was stretched out and he appeared to be holding onto something which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a petal from off a lily; the very kind of flower that grew in the church and was brought home by the blond just yesterday.

From that day on, that particular flower had become a constant decoration in their apartment. Angeal even took up gardening again. So few little pots of the flowers had appeared and were hung along the wide balcony. Somehow, with the presence of the delicate blooms, Cloud's sleepless nights became less and less.

~End~

* * *

**Author's note:**  
1. It won't make any sense if you do not read Sinnatious' The Fifth Act, so go read it first. It was an awesome piece!

2. Have to say sorry that I got tied by the real life so much that I don't have that much time to write regularly. Hence, the delay. Then my beta's compie broke on her so yeah, I had to wait for sometime for the complete beta version.

3. Okay, well, umm...I guess you guys notice the slight pairings up there? I'm just experimenting things so I don't know why Genesis is currently leading. Uhh...well...it's not completely Gen anymore. *laughs and runs to hide*

4. Next chapter will be late as well...seeing that I am currently juggling with two man jobs. Blekh...seriously blekh.

5. I don't know why I write this long...it's supposed to be like drabble length, not 8000 something words length.

6. I'm shutting up now, so happy reading! ^.^


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